Defiance  A Marauders' Tale
by TwoTruePairing
Summary: This is the story of how a young couple defied their fate and changed the world they lived in. The story of how they fell in love, how they fought for their beliefs, and how they sacrificed everything for the future. This is the story of James and Lily.
1. Chapter 1

Defiance  
A Marauders' Tale

By Glorious Clio and Matriaya

Summary: This is the story of how a young couple defied their fate and changed the world they lived in. This is the story of how they fell in love, of how they fought for their beliefs, and how they sacrificed everything for the future. This is the story of James and Lily Potter.

Rating: T

Authors' Note: We do not own Harry Potter or any of the characters, plot, or anything else you recognize, we are not making any money from this story. In truth, the story owns us. Thanks to F.L. Butler for beta-ing the entire story. Any mistakes are ours and ours alone. Apologies to JK Rowling! Remember: leave a review, get a cookie.

CHAPTER ONE

_Lily Evans took one look at the note that was passed her way by the incorrigible Potter, and without reading it, knowing full well what it said,_Dear Evans, Go out with me? Love, James_, she incinerated it with a flick of her wand. Flitwick didn't even notice._

Shaking the memory away, Lily Evans, Head Girl, and with one final wave to her parents, she strode confidently through the barrier that separated platforms Nine and Ten. _Here we go,_she thought with a small grin. _One final year before beginning my Healer training, and I will get to live in the Head Dormitory, not with that insufferable Potter asking me out every day of the week, and twice on Sunday…_ her thoughts drifted along these lines, when she accidentally trod on a first year.

"Sorry," she murmured.

The first year balked, then nodded and scurried off.

Lily shrugged, then hurried to the scarlet _Hogwarts Express_, finding the prefects' compartment, and changing her robes before anyone else arrived. She'd be busy the rest of the trip with duties, and probably not a moment to change. For the hundredth time since receiving her letter, duties, and badge, she went over who from her year might make Head Boy. And for the hundredth time since doing so, she settled on Remus Lupin. And really, it would be a further vote of confidence in him, considering he was… Anyway, there were worse things. He was the most suffer-able, intelligent, and kind of the gang that called themselves the _Marauders._Shoving things in to her trunk, she glanced at her watched and noticed she was twenty minutes early. _Oh well,_she thought, _I can perhaps patrol until Remus gets here, then…_ she didn't even finish that thought when James Potter walked in to the compartment.

"Hullo Evans, looking lovely as always."

"Stuff it Potter. You know these compartments are for Prefects. Only," she responded, placing extra emphasis on the last two words.

"And Head Boys," he said with a smile. Not his usual cocky grin. Not that Lily noticed. She was above such observations. Surely.

"Yes. Are you here to tell me Remus… is…." she sputtered to a stop when she noticed a gleaming badge on Potter's chest… _HB…._ "Damn." She coughed, trying to cover the profanity. "If you don't mind me asking… how did you get the, er, honor?"

"My dad reckons that Dumbledore wanted people he knew would be loyal to him and to the school, in these trying times."

Lily nodded. Potter certainly liked Dumbledore, and wouldn't hear a word against him. Well, he had to have one blessing. "Well, I know you have leadership from all those… adventures with your gang. And I'm sure you read all the materials McGonagall sent?" When Potter nodded, she continued, "Well, I suggest we stick to her proposed agenda, unless you've something to add?"

"No, can't think of anything at the moment," he said, slightly muffled by the robes he was now pulling on.

Lily glanced at her watch again; only two minutes had passed. There were eighteen minutes left until the train left, and twenty-three until the Prefect Meeting started…. Small talk with Potter? Merlin save us….

"This may seem like a ridiculous question, but Moony, er, I mean, Lupin would never tell us… how do we set the passwords?"

"Oh, well, the Heads of Houses usually send an owl to the oldest prefects in their respective House… I guess there's some sort of conference with the, well, entrance guardian. Except Ravenclaw, of course. They answer a question."

"Wit beyond measure is man's greatest treasure."

"Exactly." Lily resisted the urge to check her watch again. Anyway, she knew that it would only be 16 and ½ minutes until the train left. An awkward silence followed.

"So Evans, er, good summer?"

"Yeah, it was alright," she responded without going in to detail. "You?"

"Yeah, not bad. I'm happy to be back."

Lily nodded. Fifteen minutes….

O0OoO

Severus Snape sat by himself in a compartment, even though the train itself was brimming with students and extra space was hardly in abundance. It was a simple matter of glaring daggers at the awkward first years and fellow Slytherins who approached his compartment for a seat. It didn't hurt that he had potions books strewn across every available surface. He'd be mixing ingredients too if he wasn't so worried about the jostling of the train mixing hazardous chemicals together.

Perhaps he _should_ wreak some havoc. He certainly wouldn't mind eliminating a few obnoxious Gryffindors. Or rather one Gryffindor in particular. It was hard not to notice when James Potter had swished his way down the narrow corridor of the train, flashing his "Head Boy" badge for all to see. He knew this meant he was making his way toward the compartment Lily Evans was in. They would be together. In the same compartment. Probably laughing at his expense, no doubt.

_Poor Snivelous_, Potter would say. _Never made head boy. Too busy playing with his potions._

The poor, battered quill that had diligently scribbled across countless pieces of parchment suddenly snapped beneath the pressure Severus was exerting on its less-than-malleable frame. It should be _him_ in there, laughing with her. No matter how much he wanted to hate her for abandoning him, for refusing to speak to him even after he'd apologized a million times for calling her a mudblood, he just couldn't. It was something about the way her green eyes flashed when she laughed, and the familiarity of her smile that had become a second sun for him, in the darkness that swallowed his life.

So instead, he doubled his hatred of James Potter. Lily claimed to hate the man, but Severus saw the way her mannerisms shifted whenever Potter was around. She became more... flirtatious. More aware of herself as a woman. Basically, everything she wished he would do for _him._

But she was no longer speaking to him. It had been one year, three months and seventeen days since he uttered the word that left him utterly shattered. One year, three months and seventeen days since his reason for living cut him from her life. He was now forced to gather her warmth from the sidelines; admire only the smiles she gave to others.

And it was all Potter's fault. Sure, he wasn't the one who had called her a mudblood, but if it weren't for him, Severus never would have gotten as angry as he did, and never would have let the word slip out. Now they were together, secreted away in their private compartment while he was left alone with his books.

He would show them. Someday. (Correction: he would show _James Potter._ As much as he would like to hate Lily for hurting him, show her what it was like to have her heart break into a thousand pieces and then turn to sand, he couldn't.)

He had friends in high places now. The Dark Lord promised big changes, and if he rose high enough in the ranks, one of those changes might just be life story of James Potter.

O0O0O

"Firs' years over here!" Hagrid called over the veritable sea of students that were streaming from the Hogwarts Express onto the platform. Lily called out a merry greeting to the Keeper of the Keys, which he returned, and then began directing students to their destinations. She'd been doing this since her fifth year, directing the students, that is, but it hit her with the realization that this would be the last time. A buzz of excitement and fear filled her. On the one hand, she would be pleased to have finally graduated, but the world was such an uncertain place. Especially these days. She shivered. The twilight was cool, but not unpleasantly so. There were a few clouds drifting overhead, catching the dying colors of the setting sun. After everyone had loaded onto their transportation to the castle, Lily rushed in to the last horseless carriage. Potter followed her. _Drat._

"That went well, I think."

"Yes. But I confess, I'm looking forward to the feast," Lily responded.

"Oh, yes. Everyone loves a good feast."

Not knowing how to respond to that, Lily just let an awkward silence fall. Awkward silences were typically better than awkward conversations; there was a decreased chance of saying something completely stupid. Instead, she gazed out the window at the castle... the light was fading quickly and the tall spires and towers were lit up from base to tip... It looked so welcoming.

"I'm going to miss it too," Potter said, surprisingly astute to what she was thinking.

As they pulled up to the entrance, Professor McGonagall swept over to their carriage and opened the door. She smiled at her Head students as they stepped out.

"Welcome Ms. Evans, Mr. Potter. I'm so pleased to see you both again. How was the journey?"

"Fine, Professor. There were no incidents," Lily responded eagerly.

"Excellent. Well, I'm off to meet the first years. I must tell you that the Headmaster wishes to see you after the feast; please wait in the Great Hall, and he will escort you to his office."

"Professor, we haven't had time to get into trouble!" Potter exclaimed jovially.

Shockingly, McGonagall allowed herself a chuckle. "I am aware of that, Mister Potter. He has something to discuss with you that he has been discussing with all of the Head students during these... dark... times."

"Thank you, Professor," said Lily.

"You're most welcome. Now if you'll excuse me..."

The two parted and allowed her to pass. She marched into the castle, but Lily and Potter took a more leisurely approach. "What do you think Dumbledore needs to see us about?"

Lily shrugged. "Probably how best to protect ourselves while we're patrolling the corridors. There have been a few... incidents in the past."

"I never knew being a prefect could be so exciting!"

Lily sighed. "Being in a position of power often attracts _unwanted_ attention."

The feast went faster than she would have liked. Mary had saved her a spot next to her, and the two pretended to be interested in the sorting. Lily couldn't have cared less, but she could hear Potter and Black murmuring about who might make the grade for the Gryffindor Quidditch team from three seats away. Black was the keeper and the captain of the Quidditch team, and Potter was a brilliant chaser, as many of his adoring fans assured her. Well, they'd won the Quidditch cup the last five years out of six. Lily turned her attention back to Mary, who was gossiping about fellow Gryffindor Alice, who was (apparently) dating Frank Longbottom. He graduated last year, Mary reminded Lily now, and was beginning his Auror training. Alice was a powerful witch, and couldn't wait to join the training herself. Lily wasn't that interested. She liked Alice well enough. They'd shared a dormitory for the last six years, after all. But gossiping about people's love lives was a hobby she didn't share with her best friend... Soon they were eating; Hogwarts always offered the most delicious creations. Lily was quite full by the time the plates were cleared. She looked over to watch Dumbledore stand and ready for his speech.

"Hello and welcome to yet another year of attaining knowledge. I am happy to introduce Professor Diane Panoply, who will be instructing you in Defence Against the Dark Arts. I hope that you will follow all the school rules this year," he said, pointedly looking away from the four Marauders, "and that in these dark times you will look to the leadership of your professors, your prefects, and your new Head Boy and Girl." Lily blushed as everyone who wasn't looking at James looked at her. "But I shall not keep you from your beds any longer; go and rest, and have an excellent term."

Almost as one, the entire student body got to their feet, pushing out chairs and dropping silverware that they had been fiddling with. Slowly, they trickled out of the Great Hall and off to their House Dormitories. Lily wished she were among them, going back to her old bed in Gryffindor House. But not only did she have to meet with Professor Dumbledore, but then she would be expected to patrol the corridors with Potter and make sure everyone had toddled off to bed.

Dumbledore strode over to them as the last few students skirted out the doors. "Ah, Ms. Evans, Mr. Potter. Thank you for waiting for me. I will not keep you long this evening. If you'll follow me..."

He led them out the doors and up the staircase. Lily knew where his office was, having once seen Dumbledore enter past the gargoyle, but had never been inside. "Did you, er, have a good summer, sir?" she asked, a little in awe of the man.

"No, not very, but thank you for asking. How was your summer, Ms. Evans?"

"Just fine, sir."

"Excellent. And you, Mr. Potter? Did you have a good summer? How is your mother?"

"Much the same, Professor. But my summer was fine," he paused, wondering if he should continue, then did so anyway, "Sirius bought a motorbike!"

"I am sure that you two will get into plenty of mischief on that, terrorizing traffic all around."

Potter laughed. Lily almost envied his easy manner with the Headmaster. But then again, Dumbledore obviously knew Potter's family; why else would he have asked after his mother? Lily assumed she was ill, and hoped it was nothing serious.

"Well, I think Sirius' eventual plan is to make it fly."

Dumbledore's mustache twitched, as if he was checking a smile. "Well, that would all but eliminate the traffic." The trio stopped at the stone gargoyle that guarded the entrance to his office. "Jelly babies," he said, unabashed.

The gargoyle leapt to the side and allowed them to pass. Lily watched as Potter and Dumbledore stepped onto a moving staircase; Lily did the same. Potter had obviously been here before.

When they reached the top, Dumbledore swept over to his desk. "Please help yourself," he indicated with a flourish. Waiting for them were three steaming goblets of hot chocolate. Lily sat with a goblet, and looked around with great interest. All around her were shelves of old, mysterious books, silver instruments that looked so delicate that they could break with a single touch, and over there...

"Hello, Fawkes," James greeted a beautiful phoenix.

Lily had never seen one before, and set her goblet down without tasting the chocolate. She stood next to Potter and gazed at the stunning bird. At her arrival, he sang a few notes with the most beautiful, terrible voice. Lily shivered, and hoped he would sing again. When Dumbledore cleared his throat, Lily turned and asked, "Is he named for Guy Fawkes?"

Dumbledore chuckled. "Very astute, Ms. Evans. He is."

Lily grinned and sat back down. This time she took a sip of the hot chocolate. It flooded her taste buds and slid down her throat. The chocolate relaxed her more than the feast had._Dumbledore's office is brilliant_, she decided. Potter sat too, and Dumbledore began.

"Ms. Evans, I am sure you are aware how much attention, both positive and negative you two will receive from admirers and those who wish you harm. I am sad to say that both exist here, and you must be on your guard. During patrols, I must advice you to be cautious. I also want you to both be able to preform a Patronus charm by Christmas."

Lily nodded. _A Patronus charm?_She took another sip from her goblet. Dumbledore stood.

"I am sure you're aware from your Defence classes that a Patronus is conjured with a single incantation, _expecto patronum_." At his incantation, a large silvery phoenix flew from the end of his wand. It circled the room twice, before settling on the stand next to Fawkes. Golden Fawkes gave a cry of welcome to the silver impostor.

"It also requires mastery of thought, as you need to concentrate very hard on a single, happy memory. I want you to practice every single time you patrol the corridors, soon your Patronuses will be powerful enough to accompany you on these patrols. And if there is an incident of some sort, the Patronus can also relay messages to me or to another member of staff, should you require help. This is very advanced magic. Professor Panoply may be teaching it to you anyway. I just want to be sure."

Lily set down her goblet of chocolate, now growing cool, took out her wand and chanted "_expecto patronum."_ Nothing happened.

"As I said, it is very advanced magic. Please practice it. It's a very good sort of magic to know. Useful."

Potter spoke up, "Are the Patronuses unique to the conjurer?"

"An intelligent question. Yes. It is always an animal of some sort, and one that has a deep connection to the conjurer. You cannot truly choose what animal it becomes. I knew a witch who was afraid of heights, but her Patronus was an eagle."

"Ooh, irony," said Lily, who wasn't overfond of heights herself. "Can they change over time?"

"Only under unique circumstances, and usually ones concerning love, or love lost."

The pair blushed. Dumbledore was so old, surely he didn't think about things like that. It simply wasn't allowed.

Dumbledore smiled at the reaction. "Well, unless you have any more questions, I suggest you leave now, if you hope to be in your beds by midnight."

"I can't think of one. Thank you professor," said Lily.

"Yes, thank you sir," James caroled.

"You are most welcome. Now off you go; do your duty and then get some rest."

O0O0O

Traditionally, the Head students patrolled the corridors on the first night of the term. Whether it was because they were setting an example for the prefects, or because they hadn't made the patrol schedule, Lily was sure she didn't know. Sighing, she looked to Potter.

"Where do you want to patrol?"

"Does it matter?"

"Not really," she snapped, tired and annoyed at spending so much time with him, annoyed at spending still more time with him, at sharing a dormitory with him. He was probably _loving_this. "We'll only have to patrol for an hour or so. People will probably be tired."

"Well let's make it easy and go right to the source of the troublemaking."

"Potter, you're right here. And you're not causing any."

"Ha ha. No need to be rude, Lily. Believe it or not, oh, forget it. Here," he pulled out an old bit of parchment.

"Believe it or not, what? Are you going to tell me that you've matured?"

"You're making me sound like cheese now. Let's just say there was a 'prank' last spring and things went wrong. After a conference with Dumbledore, I've decided to use my powers for good, and not mischief."

"What happened?"

"I can't tell you. I solemnly swear I am up to no good!" he tapped the parchment with a flourish.

"Using your powers for good?"

"Wait 'til you hear what wipes the map clean" he commented, complete with a roguish wink.

"What map?" she asked, curious despite her irritation.

Wordlessly, he passed the old bit of parchment to her. Amazement flooded her- here before her was what looked like to be a complete and flawless map of Hogwarts, courtesy of Messieurs Moony, Wormtail, Padfoot and Prongs... and what's more, there were tiny labeled dots, mostly clustered in what she recognized to be the common rooms, and, sure enough, L. Evans was standing next to J. Potter in the corridor outside of Dumbledore's office.

"So, where do we patrol?" he asked again.

"Well... it looks like we should start near the Transfiguration rooms, I doubt those students want to admire Professor McGonagall."

It was strange patrolling the corridors with Potter. He kept cracking jokes, and Lily did not laugh at them. He tried to keep conversation light, ignoring their _history_, such that it was, and instead discussing things that would hopefully keep things neutral. There wasn't a single mention of Quidditch, or even Hogsmeade. _Odd. Oh well..._

When they returned to their mutual dormitory, quite near Dumbledore's office, behind a tapestry of Archimedes in the bath (_thank Merlin for bubbles)_, Lily offered Potter a good night before marching to the room designated as hers by a golden plaque, bearing her name. She didn't even look around at the decor before closing the door.

Lily decided, after locking Potter out, to take a shower and try and work through some of her thoughts before bed. She hadn't been back a day, yet her head was already full of Patronus charms and mischief managed, of black haired, be-speckled Quidditch players who had been unjustly been made Head Boy. She wondered what the prank was that had gone wrong, and if this wasn't part of the punishment? Being separated from the rest of his mates? The real question was, how was she going to survive a year with having to cooperate with him? Sure, his little map had been useful, and it had shown all the secret passages and potential troublemakers. He was surprisingly quiet about it; Lily was certain he would have bragged that map up. It was obvious that he and his gang had made it. Sighing, for what seemed like the millionth time that night, she shut off the water, and reached for a towel. After completing her nightly routine of teeth brushing and a hundred strokes to her hair, she crawled into bed and shut off the light. Tomorrow would be a long day.

O0O0O

The first week of classes whizzed by so quickly that Lily could hardly keep track... but it was clear to her that Potter had taken the same classes as she had just to annoy her.

"I mean really, did he have to take all the same classes as me?" Lily complained to Mary during study sessions.

"Shut up whingingabout James for three seconds so I can finish the arithmancy essay."

Lily sighed. She _liked_ all her classes. The new Defence professor, Panoply, was really good. She was a medium build, blues eyes, wavy brown hair... and approachable. She was just cool. All of Lily's classes were N.E.W.T. level, so she was working hard every single evening, she couldn't fathom why she had complained about her workload previous to this year. Clearly this year would kill her. Plus Head Girl duties... she didn't even know how Potter got on, what with Quidditch practice and all.

"He couldn't have taken _something_ different?" Lily exclaimed.

Mary, tired of hearing all about James "The Prat" Potter, slammed her quill down, causing it to molt a bit. "Here's how it works. For whatever reason, people pursuing careers as Healers and as Aurors take the same N.E.W.T. classes. Charms, Transfiguration, Potions, Herbology and Defence Against the Dark Arts. You've had every class together before this point, you've lived in the same Dorm the past six years. He's followed you in the corridors, so it's not as if you're spending more time with him than usual when you're patrolling. I'm tired of hearing it, and if I don't finish this essay, I am going to die!" she finished dramatically.

Lily looked sheepish, and not just because everyone in the Gryffindor common room (except the Marauders, thank Merlin, who were off who knows where). "I'm sorry, Mary."

Mary sighed. "It's fine. We're all just stressed. I don't think I can take this kind of pressure this early..."

"We can do this. I wish I could help you, but you've dropped potions."

"You can edit my charms essay?" Mary suggested.

Lily smiled, "Pass it over."

O0O0O

It was finally Saturday. James Potter rolled out of his bed and pulled on his Quidditch robes. The September sun shone weakly into the room as he brushed his teeth in the en suite. It was worth it being Head Boy just so he could have his own bathroom. Grabbing his Cleansweep 3 broomstick, he ran out of the dorm and down to the Quidditch pitch.

"Morning Prongs!" his best mate, and Captain of the Gryffindor Quidditch team called.

"Morning!" James leapt on to his broom, desperate for the morning air to revive him back to the land of the living. He didn't think he could spend more time mooning over one Lily Evans, but he did. He desperately wanted to ask her out again, but he didn't dare, thinking it would upset their delicate accord, which including her not killing him. And they talked. Not about anything too important, but they could get through patrols just fine, and she did seem impressed by the Marauders' Map... James did a few laps around the pitch, and then landed lightly next to Sirius; the rest of the team began to assemble. Practice went smoothly. The team was the same as last year, and as they had won the cup last year, all had very high hopes of repeating the success. Sirius ran them through their paces, warming them up to a season that was just beginning. But as usual, it went too quickly. Soon, Sirius was calling them off and the rest off the team ambled back into the castle. Sirius lagged behind, putting the practice equipment back in the trunk. James stayed with him.

"So Prongs, have you and Lily been enjoying all that time together, cozied up in your very own dorm?" his eyebrows were wiggling wildly at the innuendo.

"Not exactly, Padfoot."

"What? You've had all that alone time and you haven't taken advantage?"

"It's not about taking advantage. It's about... me wanting her to like me before I ask her out again. She still thinks I'm arrogant and immature."

"Well, after last spring, I think we've all grown up." Memories of The-Prank-That-Wasn't-But-Went-To-Hell-In-A-Pink-Handbasket-Anyway fell between them. "I _am_ sorry, you know."

"I know you are, Paddy,"

"_Don't_ call me 'Paddy,'" Sirius said, exasperated.

"I only do it because I know it bugs you," James laughed, "You shouldn't let it get to you, then, and only then, will I stop." The two began walking up the sloping green lawns up to the castle. Practice always made a player hungry, and not just for victory in the upcoming matches.

"Is that theory working on Lily then?"

"Well, the general plan is not to annoy her," he ruffled his hair nervously.

"And is that working?"

"I think so... we're having conversations that don't result in screaming matches."

"And what great things are you discussing?"

"Err... the weather, mostly. Patrol schedules. We had a particular fascinating volley over some homework that Slughorn assigned," James said, thinking of their formal, almost stiff conversations.

"Fascinating? Really?"

"Well, fascinating because she offered to help me with it."

"RESULT!" crowed Sirius as they entered the Great Hall for breakfast.

O0O0O

Lily collapsed on her bed, finally finished with her homework for the evening, willing sleep to come. The past fortnight had utterly flown by. Seventh year course work, especially with all the classes she was taking as a prerequisite for Healer training, would probably kill her. She'd worked well into the night, every night, even nights when she and James had to patrol. She was getting good at conjuring Patronuses. James' still looked like an indistinct cloud. Lily could at least tell hers had four legs. She was utterly exhausted and looking forward to counting sheep... and instead, an uninvited image of James Potter popped into her head. _Rats._ What was Dumbledore playing at, making him Head Boy? True, he hadn't really misbehaved since starting the post. Well, apart from cat calling Slytherin Quidditch team members. And, strangely enough, he hadn't asked her out once in the last two weeks. _Well that's odd. I wonder if he's feeling well?_ Shaking the thought away, she tried to cast her mind on something else... _soft and white and fluffy clouds_... _floating gently in the sky... and then James came sliding down the banister. "Hey Evans, wanna go to the Three Broomsticks with me?" "No, thanks, Mary Poppins." James didn't understand the reference, but continued wheedling, "C'mon, Lily..."_

Lily's eyes snapped open, and then she groaned. "Go away James..."

Why couldn't she get him off her mind? Well, actually, it was best not to pursue that line of thinking... Why couldn't the Sorting Hat have put her in Ravenclaw? She was glad now that she wasn't in Slytherin, a hot bed for pure-blood maniacs if she ever saw one. But nice, sensible Ravenclaw, where she would have a better chance of meeting a nice, sensible Ravenclaw boy... unlike Gryffindor boys with their eyes sparking with mischief and their own brand of chivalry... _Stop right there! No fair thinking about James when you're trying to not think about James. I mean Potter._

It's not that she minded a bit of whimsy... compared to Petunia, well, anyone was whimsical compared to her dear sister. But Lily could handle a bit of ridiculousness in her life. After all, she spent a good part of her holidays with her dad, watching Doctor Who... only recently had she stopped hiding behind the sofa... Petunia had always sniffed, whereas Lily loved watching the Doctor travel through time and space, get into trouble and talk himself out of it again. _And it wasn't as if James, I mean_Potter_, wasn't interesting to observe. His jokes were occasionally funny, and sometimes the Slytherins did hex him first. Of course, it might just be because she was now forced to spend so much time with him..._

Lily sighed, rolled over, and clamped her eyes closed. Sleep came slowly that night.

O0O0O

At her first opportunity, Lily tracked down Mary who was studying in the library. Lily rushed up and hugged her best friend.

"I am so happy to see you!"

"I know, it's been since, yesterday," Mary replied dryly. "Sit down, and tell me what's wrong."

Lily plopped down on a chair, dropping her bag on her foot. "Ow! What makes you think something's wrong?"

"Because you generally only hug me at the beginning of the term, or when something's wrong and you need comfort and advice," Mary commented, rolling up her charms essay that she was working on.

"Oh wise and trusted friend, you know me so well."

"Ha ha. Cut it with the jokes, Lily, what's wrong?"

Lily glanced around her, looking for eavesdroppers. When certain that no one was listening, she started, "Er... I think I might have a tiny itsy bitsy, nothing to worry about, Stockholm Syndrome induced... _crushonJamesPotter_."

"Well that much was obvious."

Lily sputtered, "What do you mean _obvious_? I only just discovered this!"

This outburst earned her a reproving "Shh!" from resident librarian Madame Pince.

Mary sighed, "Did you forget our talk last week? You clearly were covering up some new scary emotions. Since then, you've stopped covering them. And I quote, 'Oh James, I never realized how funny you are!'" Mary added a hair flip, "'Sure, I can help you with your Potions essay. I hope Quidditch practice goes well!"

"That's... that's... subjective evidence!"

"Shall I go on? 'Oh, goodness, I dropped my quill!-'"

"Stop! Halt! Cease and desist!" Lily buried her head in her arms. "Merlin's pants, I thought I played it cooler than that."

"You did." Lily looked up, hopefully. Mary continued, "But not by much. So what's so terrible about liking James Potter?"

"Nothing, only I swore to loath him until the end of time," she mumbled into her arms.

"So what? He's grown up. So have you. And besides, it's a woman's prerogative to change her mind."

"So what do I do? Wait for him to ask me out? He hasn't these past two weeks, what if he's gotten over me?"

"You've been counting? You idiot. He hasn't gotten over you, he still moons over you night and day. He's just been trying to play it a bit cooler. Obviously. You should ask _him_ out."

Lily paled at the very idea.

Mary sighed and unrolled her charms essay again.

O0O0O

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	2. Chapter 2

Defiance  
A Marauders' Tale

By Glorious Clio and Matriaya

Summary: This is the story of how a young couple defied their fate and changed the world they lived in. This is the story of how they fell in love, of how they fought for their beliefs, and how they sacrificed everything for the future. This is the story of James and Lily Potter.

Rating: T

Authors' Note: We do not own Harry Potter or any of the characters, plot, or anything else you recognize, we are not making any money from this story. In truth, the story owns us. Thanks again to F. L. Butler for the beta!

CHAPTER TWO

"James Potter, are you ready to go?" she called, stepping out of her bedroom. The common room they shared was actually quite sophisticated and reflected a strong Hogwarttian theme, but didn't favor any one house. The furniture was a dark mahogany; so dark, it almost looked black. The upholstery was a soft gold color, which was quite trendy. There was an emerald green rug on the floor with reds, blues, and yellows darting in a geometric pattern. The drapes were a filmy sort of fabric in a dark red. There were blue lamps on many of the surfaces. And naturally there were four House banners around the room, and the Hogwarts Crest above the fireplace. Her room slightly favored Gryffindor, as the bedding was dark maroon. Lily supposed they must have just swapped the linens when the Heads were changed, the walls were gold, and the furniture black again. Potter being a Gryffindor as well, she could only assume his room looked much the same.

"Potter?" she knocked gently on the door. It opened and she jumped back. His hair was all sticky-up and he was pushing on his glasses.

"What's going on?"

"Um, patrol?"

"Oh, right," he yawned. "Sorry, fell asleep."

"Yeah, I could have used a nap this afternoon." _What was that? Empathizing with Potter? I could have just lit into him for sleeping on duty._ Lily tried not to watch as he pulled on his robes and grabbed his wand. He shut his bedroom door and nervously tried to flatten his hair.

"Ready then?" he asked.

"Yeah. Got the map?"

"Yup," he patted his pocket.

"Okay, let's go then. _Expecto Patronum_!" she cast the charm. Next to her, Potter did the same. Clearly her memory wasn't happy enough, and Potter was still half asleep; neither Patronus looked very good.

"We'll try again later," said James. He dug out the map, revealed the school and stepped out in to the school.

"So, Lily... what are your views on History of Magic?"

"What?"

"Well, we've already discussed the weather today, and I had to think of a safe subject that wouldn't leave my ears hurting."

"What do you mean, leave your ears hurting?"

Sheepishly he said "I don't want to start a fight? This is awkward enough as it is."

She sighed and thought for a minute. "You're right, it has been awkward." _Especially since Mary has convinced me that I actually do have a crush on you..._ She stopped and stuck out her hand. "Truce?"

He looked relieved, and shook her hand. "Truce."

Lily tried, she tried _really hard_ not to notice how small her hand was in his, and how calloused his fingers were from Quidditch training.

"Right. So History of Magic... it would be better if anyone but Binns had taught it."

"I heartily concur."

"Look at that, we can agree on something!" she joked.

"I don't think that's something people disagree on."

"Fair point. Okay, what do you think of Panoply?"

"She seems cool. We've never had a female Defence professor before. Not that it makes a difference, but... something about her makes me think that she's fighting with Dumbledore against You-Know-Who."

"I know what you mean. Which means she'll likely go the way the rest of the Defence teachers have gone," Lily said darkly, in a whisper.

"I can't blame her for wanting to fight though. I hope I'll be accepted into the Auror program after dear old Hogwarts."

"I think I knew that."

"What do you want to do?"

"I want to be a Healer. I think it would be an interesting challenge. Still helping the Wizarding World. You know?"

"I do."

Lily could think of nothing more to say, and decide to let the awkward silence fall. But she discovered... it wasn't as awkward as before. Suppressing a smile, she tried again to conjure a Patronus again. She met with a little more success; it had four legs, but it didn't linger.

"You know..." James paused, and his voice dropped to a whisper. Lily tried not to notice this. "I have an invisibility cloak. We can patrol under that until we master the Patronus Charm."

"That might be a good idea... At least when there are nights when there are lots of... well, Slytherins about."

"Exactly."

"Where did you get an invisibility cloak?"

"It's a family heirloom."

"Is that how you and the Marauders got into so much trouble? And invisibility cloak and a brilliant map have to help."

He grinned, "Well, we didn't always have the map."

"And the cloak?"

"My Dad gave it to me before I left, first year. He hoped I would use it only for getting food from the kitchens. I think now he regrets giving it to me."

Lily actually laughed. They managed to bust seven troublemakers that night, including (much to the embarrassment of all involved) a couple in a broom cupboard. 

O0O0O

The students received notice in early October that the first Hogsmeade weekend would be on Halloween. Lily couldn't help but look forward to it, and James was all but giddy. She nervously waited for him to ask her to meet up at Madame Puddifoot's. She wasn't sure what she would say, though. They had a history... he might expect her to say no. But despite giving her feelings a stern talking to, Lily was still attracted to James. He didn't have any gross habits that she was aware of, like clipping his toenails in the common room. He and Sirius both had yet to play a prank this year. And she noticed his hair ruffling had almost stopped, and he only seemed to do it as a nervous habit. And what's more, her accusation of his arrogance turned out to be... false. Sure, he still liked to pretend he was hot stuff, but it was much less than it had been. And when he was in their common room, he was so down to earth... Lily could hardly believe that his "confidence" was an act, but wasn't hers? She was going nuts.

Lily just couldn't take anymore of the runaround in her head. So, one night when she and James were at their desks in their Heads' common room, she insanely blurted out, "So want to meet up at the Three Broomsticks for butterbeers? First round's on me."

He looked up at her, completely wild eyed. It was rather sweet. "With you and Mary, right? And I bring Sirius and Remus and Peter?" he clarified.

"No," she grinned. "With me. I want to have a drink with you. Call it a date."

He fell out of his chair, onto the floor, and gazed up at her with adoration. "Yes, please."

Lily laughed. "James, you're completely hopeless."

"No, I'm completely hopeful," he said, pulling himself off the floor and settling back in his chair. After a moment of pushing around his quill, he said, "I knew you'd come to your senses eventually, and realize what a prize I am."

"Shut it Potter, we haven't had a date yet."

"At any rate," he said, ignoring her last comment, "I've always known you were a prize."

Lily blushed as she turned back to her homework. 

O0O0O

"Padfoot!" James spoke into a mirror. "_Padfoot!_"

After a moment, Sirius Black's face appeared in the mirror, blocking James' own reflection.

"What's new?" he asked his friend. "Because next week is the full moon, and we've been thinking... Prongs? Why are you grinning so wildly? Or do I even want to know?"

"Lily asked _me_ out."

"What? No way. What did you tell her?"

"Well what do you think, moron?"

"You could have gotten her back for all those times she's turned you down."

James looked thoughtful for a moment, and then shook his head. "Nah, too juvenile. Lily likes the mature me."

"Whatever. So we want to explore that giant spider's den this time. What do you think?"

"Um, no to giant spiders, but yes to the Forbidden Forrest in general."

"Okay, Wormtail didn't want to go in there anyway."

"And Moony?"

"As he put it, there's not much that isn't afraid of a werewolf."

"I don't think werewolf bites work on acromantulas."

"Well whatever. We'll be babysitting him the whole time anyway," Sirius whinged. A pillow seemed to come out of nowhere and hit him in the back of the head. "Oh good one, Moony. And you're supposed to be the mature one. Do you need a babysitter all the time now, or just at that time of the month?"

"Don't piss off the werewolf, Padfoot," James warned.

Remus snatched the mirror out of Sirius' hands. James could see a gleam in his eye, "Leave it to me, I'll housetrain the dog in manners."

James heard a door open and close behind Remus, and then Peter said, "What's going on? Did Padfoot say Moony needed a babysitter again?"

The mirror dropped, and James could only hear the dialog.

"Yes, and now you're both being kenneled. _Petrificus Totalus_! Good night, Prongs," said Moony, as he came back to the mirror.

"Moony, make sure they clean their teeth before you tuck them in."

Both laughed, and then put the mirrors away. He wondered how long Remus would leave them. After all, Sirius was the only one who knew about the date. 

O0O0O

"So I asked James out," Lily mentioned to Mary at breakfast.

"Well, I lost the pool then."

"There was a pool?"

"Of course there was a pool."

Lily paused, and then asked out of morbid curiosity, "Who won?"

"Dunno. I'll let you know when I find out." Silence fell between them as Mary poured herself some tea, a splash of milk and a sugar. "When's the big date?"

"Oh, we're meeting for butterbeers in Hogsmeade. At one, so we can still hang out in the morning."

"Sweet of you to remember me in your moments of swooning over James."

"Shut up. It's just drinks."

"Sure it is."

Lily changed the subject quickly, "So how about you? What's new with your love life?"

"What love life? Oh, you mean my torrid affair with my homework? Well, I do it every night and it certainly screws me over."

"Excellent choice of words."

"Well, you know I don't like to say fuck so early in the morning."

Lily rolled her eyes and tucked into her porridge. 

O0O0O

For all her nerves about going on a date with Potter, it didn't make patrolling (or classes or living in close quarters or doing homework) any more or less awkward. Both seemed to come to an unspoken understanding that until the date happened, nothing was between them. Except implicit attraction. They practiced their patronuses; James was doing much better (Lily tried to ignore any possibility that it might have something to do with her asking him out). It also seemed to have four legs, and perhaps horns of some kind. For her part, hers seemed to be getting larger.

Almost without noticing, October completely slid by, and soon it was Halloween. James escorted Lily to the Great Hall where they met up with their friends.

"See you at one," said Lily.

"At the Three Broomsticks," agreed James. They offered each other smiles and then parted, each to their own groups of friends.

Hogsmeade was as unchanged as always. Lily enjoyed the brief respite from the castle (as much as she loved Hogwarts), and was all for a break from the pressure of homework. The weather was perfect- crisp and cool, the scent of autumn in the air. The sky was purest blue. Once they'd gotten away from the main crowds of the other students descending on the village, Mary turned to her.

"What are you wearing?" she demanded.

"What a tiring subject," Lily said, trying to demure.

"Cram it, Evans. I'm your best friend. I get to advise you in these matters."

"Well it's too late to change now anyway," she pointed out.

"Nah, there are shops here; we could fix you up with something. Besides, I don't trust you not to wear that raggedy beetle shirt."

Lily rolled her eyes. "The Beatles. And no, I'm not wearing that."

"Well then why can't I see?"

"Fine." Lily opened her cloak. She was hoping the big reveal would be for James; he hadn't seen her yet as she'd put on her cloak before leaving her room.

She was wearing black boots that had a small heel, and dark jeans that went over them. On top she had an emerald green long sleeved shirt. Golden bangles hung from her ears and tangled with her red hair in a most irritating fashion. She didn't change her make-up routine, apart from an extra coat of mascara. "Well? How'd I do?"

"Not bad, Evans, not bad at all. Of course, I might have gone with a darker shade of lipstick."

"I'm not wearing lipstick to a one o'clock rendezvous."

"Fine. Whatever. You do look nice, though."

"Thank you."

Okay, let's hit the town; we've only until one!" They meandered through the village, flocking magpie-like to jewelry. They also replenished their chocolate supplies, and Lily added two new books to her purchases. They each bought a pasty for lunch, and before she knew it, it was ten minutes to one.

"Well, I guess I ought to go. Wish me luck!"

"You don't need luck," said Mary, taking one of her bags.

"Thanks." Lily strode off towards the Three Broomsticks. Opening the door, she saw Sirius, Remus and Peter at the bar, flirting with Rosemarta. Suppressing a grin, she gazed around, looking for James. The other Marauders saw Lily, bid Rosemarta a farewell, and filed past Lily, each flashing her a grin. Finally she saw James tucked over in a booth.

"Hi," she said walking up to him. She took off her cloak and hung it on a hook next to his.

"Hi," James responded. He jumped up when she greeted him, always the gentleman. He ruffled his hair nervously, then remembering that she once yelled at him for that, pulled it quickly from his head.

"Er, shall I get the drinks?" _Dammit, why am I always awkward around him?_

"Yeah. but the next round's on me," he said.

"That sounds fair." Lily walked to the bar and ordered two butterbeers. She returned, careful not to slosh the tankard on anyone. She sat down across from James, still determined not to spill, and passed one over to him.

"I forgot to say, er, you look nice," said James.

"Thanks. So do you." He was also wearing jeans and boots, but with a red jumper on. "Well, to awkward first dates," toasted Lily.

"Cheers!" James grinned. 

O0O0O

If there was one thing Severus Snape was good at, it was skulking. Most of his childhood was spent hiding in closets and meshing with the shadows to avoid the blows of his father's drunken or angry fists. It was because of his ability to blend into the background and go unnoticed that he emerged from his home relatively unscathed. This gave him a great advantage as he stood outside the Three Broomsticks, glaring daggers at a young couple who were drinking within.

Potter.

Everywhere he turned, Severus saw Potter there, stealing up what ought to be his. The bitter October wind snaked icy fingers under his cloak and he pulled it tighter around his angled form.

Lily Evans was giving Potter _that_ smile. _His_ smile. The one she used to use when he made her laugh. That smile had gotten him through more rough times than he could count, and knowing that she only brought it out for him made it all the more special. Now she was flashing it at Potter, and tossing her hair as she flirted over a steaming cup of Butterbeer.

"So," a voice from behind him drawled. " That stupid mudblood is finally hanging out with someone on her own, pathetic level."

Snape turned, wand gripped in his hand, ready to hex his intruder into kingdom come for sullying Lily's name. Boris Slaytten stood behind him with a smirk on his huge lips, eyes also glued to Lily and James. What Snape did next surprised him; he lowered his wand and smirked back.

If she was going to torment him, share _his_ secret smile with the likes of James Potter, then why should be so quick to defend her honor? Especially if it was one of his mates?

He shouldn't. Instead of unleashing a nasty curse on Slaytten, Snape tucked his wand back into his cloak, and turned his back on his former friend.

"Come on, Severus. We're all going to the Hog's Head for a pint," Slaytten gripped Snape's bony shoulder, and nodded his head towards a group of heavily cloaked Slytherins, all shivering in the cold. Without a word, Snape nodded, and together they melded into the crowd.

O0O0O

Things stopped and started a few times before they fell into a familiar pattern of conversation. They teased and joked and drank four butterbeers apiece.

"So what do you want to do now?" James asked.

"Um," said Lily. "I hadn't really thought past butterbeers." She was slightly lightheaded from the mild alcohol.

"What about a visit to the Shrieking Shack?"

"Oh, um..." _Merlin's Beard, why can't I seem to form words? Blame the alcohol. _

"Have you ever been?"

"No, I haven't."

"Are you scared?"

"No." _Not of the shack, but I am scared of what might happen if we're alone._

"Well then prepare your Gryffindor courage," he exclaimed, getting up and holding out her cloak for her.

"Alright, fine, I'll go with you to the Shrieking Shack."

"Excellent." They swept out of the Three Broomsticks. The small hike up the hill made Lily glad that she had opted for boots that morning. It didn't take very long, but the path was muddy and slippery. At the crest of the hill, she noticed the shack. It certainly lived up to her expectations. Well, it wasn't shrieking at the moment, but it was a ramshackle little thing, two storeys and looking like it had been there since the dawn of time.

"I've heard there's no way in," she said to James.

"Well, not that we could find from out here."

"Maybe you could go down the chimney like Father Christmas?"

James laughed, "We'll have to try it."

"I don't really have any desire to."

"Alright. Wanna explore?"

So they did. It didn't take long to go around the whole thing, Lily with her wand out. James looked casual about the entire affair. When she had finished looking around, Lily smiled at James.

"Is it Marauder tradition to visit the Shrieking Shack during each Hogsmeade visit?"

He grinned, "Something like that."

James paused, and stared down at the ground for a minute. There was a question on his mind, one that had been burning a hole in his brain for the better part of the evening, but one he was afraid to put into words in case he freaked her out and sent her running. Their date, while being awkward as all first dates were, was going quite well.

Oh hell, he thought, and spewed the words out before he got too freaked to voice them.

"Do you kiss on the first date?"

Lily blushed. "Depends on the date."

"Let me specify. This date. Because you look so adorable that I just have to kiss you."

Lily looked down; her cloak had splotches of mud on it, her jeans had mud on them too. She was slightly annoyed, and a little too warm all of a sudden.

"I don't know how to respond to that."

James had edged closer when she had inspected herself. He whispered to her, "Well it's quite simple. It's 'Yes' if you want to be kissed by me, and it's 'No' if you don't."

Lily shivered with anticipation. She hadn't had much practice at kissing, and was suddenly curious about what his lips would taste like.

"Yes," she whispered, barely audible.

Quite suddenly, as if answering a question, his mouth was pressed to hers. _Butterbeer and sweat and... James_. She didn't know quite how to describe this kiss, in front of the most haunted place in all of Britain, kissing a boy two months ago she said she despised, after a semi-awkward first date.

But it was nice.

The two linked hands, exchanged smiles, and strode back down the hill, through the village and back to the castle for the Halloween feast.

O0O0O

A few days had passed since the date; the entire school was talking about it, trading rumors about what it entailed. Lily preferred not to know what they were saying about her love life, thank you very much. And it turned out that Remus Lupin had won the pool, since the date was Halloween '76. Well, anyway.

As to her love life, she and James didn't have that much time to talk about it. He was preparing for his first Quidditch match in mid-November in addition to all their homework. They still patrolled twice a week, and both were all business. Neither one wanted to flirt to outrageously when there were errant students to catch.

One evening that there wasn't a patrol and Hufflepuff had the Quidditch field, James asked over their homework, "So are we a couple now?"

Lily looked up. James suddenly looked nervous and began polishing his glasses. Pushing them back on his face, he looked resolute again.

"Well... I'm not really interested in dating anyone else at this point in time."

"Me neither," James said fervently.

"But I also don't want this to seem that easy. I mean, we've only had one date. And, well, I want to be wooed a bit more."

"So the last few years spent chasing you don't count?"

Lily thought back to all the grand gestures he spent on her. Even the little things he took notice of, opening doors for her, et cetera ad nausem.

"I suppose they do. I dunno. Do you feel like... I'm your girlfriend?"

"Well, I don't want to assume. I thought it'd be better if I asked."

Lily thought. "You're going to have to give me some time to think on this. Sorry James."

He shrugged. "Don't apologize. This is infinitely better than 'drop dead you arrogant toe-rag.'"

"I've learned some new insults since then," she teased.

"I'm sure." 

O0O0O

That night, Lily couldn't sleep again. She was attracted to James, and curious about him. She truly wasn't interested in anyone else. She was going through all this in her head when there was a soft knock on the door. It could really only be one person.

"Just a second!" Quickly, Lily ran a comb through her hair and threw her bathrobe over her pajamas. She opened the door, "James."

"Good evening. Would you like to go on a moonlight stroll to the kitchens with me?"

"James..."

"C'mon, Lily. Consider this our second date."

She smiled. "Okay. Let me put some shoes on. And maybe some clothes."

"Alright, Lady Lily. I will await you in the common room."

She shut the door and spun in to action. She threw some lipgloss on, followed by the clothes that she was planning on wearing on Saturday, finally by her boots she wore on their first date. She opened the door again.

"I'm ready, James."

"Cool." He pulled out the map and silently planned a route to the kitchens. When satisfied, he pulled out his invisibility cloak. Motioning her closer, he threw the cloak over both of them. He wrapped an arm around her shoulder to hold her close so the cloak would cover them, and they headed to the dungeons in silence. Lily was conscious of his breathing. They were so close, and it was so hot under the cloak, even though the corridors were beginning to feel the draft from autumn. They had seemingly arrived; Lily had never been to the kitchens before, but James had stopped in front of a still life of a bowl of fruit. He reached forward and tickled the pear. It turned into a handle, which he pulled. The portrait swung open and he ushered her inside.

The house-elves that were inside all rushed up to "Master James," and Lily wondered just how often he came down here.

"What would you like, miss?" one of the elves asked, sidling up to her.

"Oh, um... some hot chocolate? And maybe a few biscuits?" A few seconds later, a cart rushed over to her, carrying two goblets, hot chocolate, and a plate of biscuits.

The elves then seemingly melted away from her and James; they went back to their work, leaving them be.

"Wow. These are amazing," Lily gestured to the biscuits.

"Yeah."

He seemed nervous about something. Lily couldn't figure out what it was. Rather than press him about it, she allowed them to finish their chocolate in silence.

After the House-elves had cleaned up after them, Lily asked, "Can we go to the astronomy tower? I feel like a little fresh air."

James smiled and said, "Sure."

It was another silent trip through the darkened castle. But by the time they made it up the tallest tower, both were breathing heavily.

"It's been a while since we've been up here," Lily pointed out. She brushed her hair out of her eyes.

"Yeah, it's been a while since I had an astronomy lesson."

She let silence fall as they both tipped back their heads to observe the heavens above them. But after they had been quiet for a few minutes (and after they were breathing normally again) she asked, "What's wrong, James?"

He sighed. "I have to tell you something. Something important. And when I do, I have the feeling you won't like me anymore. At all."

Lily felt the tension in him transfer to her.

"Well, it's best to tell me now, I guess, and get it over with."

He turned to look at her, "Just let me talk until I get to the end. I'd rather you hear it from me than anyone else."

Lily nodded, and James began, "You see, Remus... well he's a werewolf. And Snape was right all along. We were up to something. In our fifth year, we managed to become animagus... but last year, our cleverness caught up with us, and... well...

_ James had never run so fast in his life. Branches whipped by him, nearly clipping him in the face, but he wouldn't stop. Sirius had gone too far this time. Snape had never been James' favorite person, certainly since he whined more than anyone he'd ever met and clearly had no sense of personal hygiene, but death by werewolf attack? James wouldn't wish that on anyone._

_ Sirius was trailing behind him, just barely keeping up. His friend's pants crept over the sound of the wind and trees wooshing by._

_ "Snape!" James called into the cold night air. "Stop!"_

_ Up ahead, the Whomping Willow lashed her great arms about as if fending off an invisible attacker. The attacker wasn't invisible, James realized, just quite a bit smaller than the ferocious tree._

_ "Snape! Don't go in there!"_

_ No matter how loud he yelled, his shrieks couldn't penetrate the creaks and groans of the tree. He scanned between the flailing branches just in time to see a small, dark figure disappear into a hole in the massive trunk._

_ "Damnit," he muttered under his breath. "Sirius, you're a prat, you know that?"_

_ Nearly choking on his words, Sirius managed a gasping whine._

_ "I'm the prat? He's the one trying to rat us out, and _I'm_ the prat?"_

_ James looked back at the red-faced Sirius, but only managed a glare in response. Lily was going to be seriously pissed when she found out his best friend had sent her best friend to an untimely and rather brutal death. He was surprised Snape even managed to make it passed the Whomping Willow. The first time James had tried, he'd nearly lost his head in the attempt. While it would be funny to see that sulky little frown wiped off Snape's face, watching his face be ribbons by Remus's claws wouldn't be all that great._

_ They reached the tree, and James managed to dodge the Willow's determined branches with ease. Sirius, however, was not as lucky. A stray branch nailed him square in the chest, tossing his long form several feet in the air and backward where he landed with a yelp. Unconscious. Damnit. Sirius would be safe enough, out of the range of the branches, and James would just have to come back for him later._

_ His fingers slammed down on the secret knot in the tree, and a hidden door slid open, revealing a darkened passageway... and no Snape. Merlin's beard, this was not good._

_ "Snape!" The single word got absorbed by the earthen walls around him. "Where are you?"_

_ A brief glance at the ground told him that Snape had definitely made it this far. The screams he heard up ahead were the familiar screams of his dear friend, no doubt writhing on the ground as his bones stretched beyond his skin. Thankfully, the (probably) effeminate screams of Snape had yet to join them. Or, James thought with fear, they'd already stopped._

_ James stumbled down the hallway, nearly falling over, but used the gravity to push himself forward. A rustle of black cloak filled near dark, and James let out a small laugh of relief. Snape hadn't yet made it to the door. Fear had slowed him, and made the bony hand that felt along the passage walls shake. James didn't bother with a warning yell, he simply bounded forward, grabbed a handful of Snape's cloak and yanked. Hard. Both boys tumbled to the ground, and not without Snape's shout of surprise and James's grunt of pain._

_ "What the hell are you doing, Snivelous?" James ground out as he shoved the smaller boy off him. A few yards ahead of them lay the wooden door (reinforced with magic, no doubt) that provided a boundary between them and the monster within. Had he been a minute later, Severus would have come up with a way to open the door, and James' whole rescue plan would've been for naught. "Are you trying to get yourself killed?"_

_ "I am more than capable of defending myself, Potter," Snape replied, brushing the dirt off his cloak. "Against whatever bit of trickery you've got stashed in there."_

_ As Snape began to move forward again (though not at top speed - the painful cries of Remus were enough to make even the bravest of men halt in their steps), James grabbed him full by the collar and slammed him against the dirt wall. His greasy black hair was sprinkled with dirt flecks._

_ "You aren't. Neither am I. What's behind there isn't just some clever trick we made up."_

_ James could tell by the sneer across his lips that Snape didn't believe him. Why should he? James and the rest of the Marauders certainly hadn't gone out of their way to make him feel trusting._

_ "I'm serious, Severus."_

_ At the use of his first name - his _real_ first name, not just the nickname they'd made up for him - Snape locked gazes with him._

_ "What is it, Potter?" There was no jeering in his voice, no sneer; he was serious as the grave._

_ "It's a werewolf."_

_ There was no mincing words, so he felt coming straight out with it was the best scenario. Snape's gaze went from the door, to him to the door again, and then he fainted dead away._

_ Three hours later, the dirt walls of the passageway to the Shrieking Shack were replaced by the golden hue of paint that lined Dumbledore's noble office, but James Potter felt no less afraid or anxious. In fact, he was sure he preferred the werewolf form of his friend to the stern gaze of his headmaster._

_ "I am very disappointed in you all," Dumbledore spoke almost in a whisper, though James would have been happier if he'd shouted, raged about the place. The shame he felt burned worse in his chest than any anger he'd ever conjured up._

_ "Remus Lupin can not help what he is, and the Professors here have done their best to help him with his condition. But it is no laughing matter."_

_ Those half moon spectacles swung in Sirius's direction who, at that moment, very much resembled his canine counterpart, cowering in a chair with his tail between his legs._

_ "I've put up with most of your little pranks, but this one goes too far, Mr. Black. You could have gotten Mr. Snape killed. Do you understand that?"_

"_Yes sir," Sirius mumbled, but kept his gaze glued to the ground._

"_And you, Mr. Snape, were beyond foolish in your attempt to discover the true nature of the Shrieking Shack. You put not only yourself at risk, but the lives of all the students at this school. Did you stop to consider the danger everyone would have been in had you released the beast from its cage?"_

_James felt a twinge of anger at Dumbledore's referral of one of his best friends as "a beast", but he supposed in the strictest of senses the old man was right. If Remus had gotten loose, he would have torn through the population of Hogwarts without even realizing his actions._

_His lecture, never rising above a calm murmur, though emotion still ran deep in it, lasted another ten minutes, before the other two boys were dismissed._

"_Mr. Lupin is being guarded now by Madame Pomfrey and Professor McGonagall. Be thankful that his life was spared in your little endeavour, for if your plans had gone awry, his would be the first to be lost." Dumbledore told them. Even Snape, who James was sure felt blameless in this scenario, looked ashamed as he got up and left._

"_Oh, Mr. Potter," Dumbledore called as James followed Sirius towards the door, "could you stay a moment please? I'd like to have a final word with you."_

_He was in for it now. He'd be expelled, for sure! His parents would kill him, if that were the case! No trial, no jail time, just a quick clean execution in his back yard. Death by mother's screaming. Slowly, he shuffled back to the huge armchair that sat opposite Dumbledore's and lowered himself in once more._

"_Mr. Potter, I wanted to commend you on your action this evening."_

_If Dumbledore had stood up on his chair and began dancing, James wouldn't have been more surprised. Commend him for his actions? What?_

"_I know that you and Mr. Snape haven't exactly seen eye to eye in the past, but your quick actions tonight saved his life. So I have decided on a small punishment for you, but it is also a reward. You won't feel the weight of the guilt that Sirius feels, but it is my wish that you shoulder some responsibility. I am sure you will find yourself equal to it."_

"Well... that's it. That's why he made me Head Boy."

Lily sat a moment, absorbing it all. She had known, of course that Remus was a werewolf. He'd told her that he wouldn't be able to patrol on nights of the full moon, and she had figured it out. Growing up in the muggle world meant she wasn't prejudice against werewolves; she'd kept his secret for him.

But James, Sirius and Peter were animagi? She was torn between being impressed, _that was really advanced magic_, and being horrified at their foolhardiness. And Sirius' prank-that-wasn't scared her. She'd known Black was reckless, but still... Snape didn't deserve that, for all that they weren't friends anymore...

But James had fessed up. No one else in the school knew. There weren't even rumors about this; no one would believe them if there were. But he didn't have to tell her, and he could have sworn his friends to secrecy.

Lily cleared her throat. "I'm... glad that you told me. But I'm at a bit of a loss for words."

James nodded, but didn't look at her.

"I'm not mad. You guys have grown up because of that incident. And really, I didn't really know you back then. Or we weren't this close. You have changed, Potter. And I admire you a bit for fessing up."

"I wasn't planning on telling you this soon, but then I realized I couldn't keep it from you much longer. You would have asked. And I wanted to tell you, but I was scared you would hate me. Hate us. I couldn't be with you if you hated any of my friends. They are my brothers."

"I know," said Lily. "I do. I'm telling you that you don't need my forgiveness."

He crushed her in a hug. Lily hugged him back. She could tell that he still felt guilty. Then and there, she made her decision. The fact that he felt remorse made him more real to her than anything else thus far. She was proud of him. She wanted him to be her boyfriend.

"James," she said gently.

He pulled back from the hug and looked at her in the eye. "I'd be really... well... I'd like you to be my boyfriend," she said, going in for a kiss.

It was a good thing they didn't have class the next morning, as they didn't leave the tower for a while. 

O0O0O

The news that Lily Evans and James Potter were officially dating blazed across Hogwarts faster than lightening. They were the new "It" couple, hotter even than Matilda Horowitz and Anthony Hawkshaw, who had made a very public display of breaking up and reuniting at least three times since term had started. Every time the new Golden Duo was caught in a corner making out, it seemed everyone in their next class would know about it. James got pats on the back, and Lily soon found herself the destination of more than a few angry glares from other women.

Scores of women weren't the only unhappy and grumbling people roaming the halls of Hogwarts. Severus Snape was a veritable thunder cloud since the news broke. Normally, in Potions class, he never missed a single ingredient, and was way ahead of the rest of the class in answering questions. Nowadays, he was a black lump of greasy hair and sallow skin that sat in the back of class and didn't take his eyes off his parchment.

Two weeks, he kept up his silent treatment of the world. It was meant to be a silent treatment of Lily, but since she wasn't speaking with him anymore, his original goal had no affect and he was forced to change plans. His Slytherin buddies didn't notice too much. They wondered for a bit why their friend refused to come out of his room at night, and didn't speak to them in the halls, but they chalked it up to his sour disposition and moved right along without him.

Professor Slughorn was the only person who took a modicum of interest in Snape's new state of mind, but that was mostly because his star pupil was now falling in with the rest of the class and he had no one else to fawn over. No one but Lily Evans, that is.

No matter how hard he tried, he couldn't evade her. Even though he had decided she wasn't worth the effort or the heartache, Lily was still there, around every corner in the hallway, across every single classroom. He could pick out her laugh above the din of the Great Hall, and it still made his heart jump, even though the laugh was no longer for him. He was going mad. Absolutely insane. He heard her even when she wasn't there, saw her face in all the girls he passed. Any more of this and he would have to leave Hogwarts just to escape her. No, his time of running away had disappeared the moment he set foot outside his childhood home. He would have to confront her, make her see reason - make her see that Potter was no good.

"Lily," he pounced on her the moment she stepped out of Potions. She spared him only a glance and made it clear she was going to continue walking without acknowledging him, so he grabbed onto her robe sleeve and tugged her into the nearest alcove.

The annoyance that had obscured her beautiful face only moments before melted into acceptance.

"What do you want, Severus?" she murmured. When he looked down, finally looked down into those gorgeous emerald eyes that had haunted him for so many nights, that had avoided his gaze for so many days, he saw nothing. No emotion. They were a blank slate.

"Why don't we ever talk anymore?" That made him sound like the most whiny person in the history of the Wizarding World, but he didn't care. She shifted her books from one arm to the other, and cast a glance at her friends in Gryffindor. Clearly, she would rather be with them. Still, he didn't relent. She sighed, and looked back at him.

"You called me a mudblood." she told him, her voice flat.

"Yeah, but Lily..." he tried to interrupt, but she just kept going.

"You called me a mudblood, Severus. Me. You were my best friend. And then that? You've been hanging out with those stupid friends of yours, and I don't know what they did to you, but you've changed. You're not the Severus I knew."

She didn't yell, though he would have preferred it. He would have preferred that she hit him. This cold, this distance between them, was just too much.

"I haven't changed! You're the one who's changed! It's all that Potter's fault!"

The nothingness was gone then, replaced by a hot white anger he had never before seen on her face.

"Don't you say another word about James, Severus Snape! He's been more than wonderful to me! He never thought less of me because of my _birth_." She spat out.

He took it back. He hated the anger. Any other man would have shrank in fear from this anger, but he managed to stand strong.

"He's not good for you, Lily," he persisted, snatching at her hand. His thin fingers dug deep into the soft flesh of her hand, but he couldn't risk letting her go. "Please- you used to hate him too!"

"It that's all our friendship was based on, it wasn't a good one, Severus. It would have never lasted."

"It would have!"

"No," Lily said, icily. "We have all changed. James has grown up. I can look past his faults. But yours... yours are based on cruelty."

He had no words. All the confessions of love he had planned out in his mind, the apologies, the forgiveness, all of it just disappeared. Did she really thinks so little of him? He and his friends were working towards a better world - a wonderful world where Wizards could live their lives in peace, and not have to fear the muggle world any longer. It was a world he was working toward for her, one that they could share.

And she thought him cruel.

His lips parted, but he found that no sound came out. Speech had abandoned him.

"Goodbye, Severus," she whispered. Too absorbed in his own anguish, he didn't notice the tears that brimmed in her eyes, as she turned and dashed down the hall. 

O0O0O

Lily told James about the confrontation between her and Snape, but warned him not to interfere. He took her advice, most likely worried he'd loose her if he took revenge. Well, whatever it took. Gryffindor beat Hufflepuff house in a close and exciting game, the final score was 260 points to 250. James seemed to remember it play by play, but Lily, for all that she liked Quidditch, couldn't follow it _that_ closely. And she usually managed to distract James from long rants about his chaser skills and Sirius' keeping skills (though he had let in 25 goals... of course it was a five hour match. When Lily suggested that the Hufflepuff keeper might be better than Sirius, James sulked for hours).

Lily used that pouting face in her mind's eye the next time they went on patrol. Miraculously, it seemed to do the trick, because something _solid_ erupted from her wand, much to the amazement of James and herself. It galloped over to her and revealed itself to be... a doe. Lily was shocked, as the words of Dumbledore washed over her, "_It is always an animal of some sort, and one that has a deep connection to the conjurer... usually ones concerning love..._"

"Oh," said Lily eloquently.

"Oh," James breathed next to her. "_Expecto Patronum!"_ Lily could probably win a bet as to what he just picked to be his happy memory. A stag soon joined her doe.

Lily turned, wide eyed to her boyfriend, "Um... this doesn't change anything, does it? I mean, I obviously can't control what I conjure."

James looked just as shocked by the matched pair. "Yeah, nothing personal, Evans, but I don't need to rush in to anything."

"So we don't really need to tell anyone the significance of this yet?"

"Well Dumbledore will probably guess."

"I suppose," she shook her head to clear it. "Well, he won't tell anyone."

"Probably not."

Lily couldn't explain why the Patronuses made them both uncomfortable. She felt like someone had prematurely stated their love for each other, pushed them to the next level as their relationship. She was fond of him, even his previously annoying habits were becoming endearing. But they'd been dating a grand total of one month...

But he'd been just as freaked out as she had been. Lily relaxed halfway through the patrol. Neither of them were going to confess their love for the other.

"I suppose we should send a message to Dumbledore that we finally managed it," said James after some of her tension dissipated.

"Good idea. Do you want to run up to the owlry after patrol?"

"Yeah. Do you have parchment and a quill?"

"Yes, I even have ink," she teased.

They sent the message that night, and the following morning at breakfast, they each received a note from Dumbledore asking them to meet with him at his office during their break. They sent back their affirmative replies. The meeting with Dumbledore didn't last long. He asked to see their Patronuses and didn't comment that they seemed to match each other (though James swore he saw a gleam of amusement in the Headmaster's eyes). He gave them further instruction as to how to get them to deliver messages to the correct person, and to practice that as well.

By the time they'd mastered the new skill (they sent their Patronuses to Dumbledore to prove it), it was nearly Christmas break. Lily and Mary were going home, as were all the Marauders. Lily, Mary, and Alice joined the Marauders in their compartment on the train that took them past snowy fields in Scotland and into the sprawling, dirty expanse that was London. The trip was uneventful, in that they were finally getting into the holiday spirit after the grueling pace of the term. James had managed to hang up some mistletoe in the compartment and found any excuse to push Lily under it and kiss her until she was red in the face (from embarrassment, she told him). They played exploding snap and ate chocolate, and generally just enjoyed each others' company, knowing that they would be parting ways for over two weeks.

Except that Lily had invited James over to her parents' for Boxing Day leftovers, a tradition in the Evans Family. He had agreed and invited her to spend New Years Eve with him and Sirius (who had been unceremoniously booted from his noble and ancient house the summer before sixth year). She of course accepted (but would beg off at one, as she needed to pack to return to Hogwarts later on the first).

James met his father at the platform. Lily stood shyly behind James as he hugged his father carefully. He was terribly old and frail. And to think that he was caring for his very ill wife... Lily could only be in awe of his devotion. "Dad, I'd like to finally introduce Lily Evans. Lily, this is my father, Edward Potter."

"I'm pleased to finally meet you, Mr. Potter. James told me so much about you," said Lily graciously.

"I'm sure James has spoken more of you these past six years," he said with a small twinkle. "Where are your parents, dear? I'm sure I'd be delighted to meet them."

"They'll be outside the platform waiting."

"Oh, of course."

James and Sirius had hoisted both their trunks onto a trolley, James had put her trunk on another cart. He pushed her cart through, while Sirius did his and James'. Mr. Potter offered his arm to her and they walked through the divider of the platform. Indeed her parents were waiting just through the portal. Short and blonde Mrs. Evans and taller, red haired Mr. Evans fell upon their daughter with hugs and greetings.

"Dad, Mum, this is James Potter, his father Mr. Potter, and Sirius Black. These are my parents, Harry and Marianne Evans." Greeting filled the air. They talked for a few moments longer, exchanged holiday wishes, before bidding adieu. As Lily pushed her trolley to the end of the platform, she turned her head to watch the Potters and Sirius disapperate. But they were already gone.

Her dad put her trunk in the boot of the car as Lily settled in the back seat.

"Where's Tuney?" asked Lily as her dad got in the car.

"Oh, at home. You know how she is, dear," said Mrs. Evans in what she hoped was a calming matter.

"Yes," said Lily, gazing out the window. Traffic petered out, and soon they were at home. Lily dragged her trunk up the stairs to her childhood room, took off her cloak and began settling in. She kept the door open, hopefully welcoming inquisitive parents or cold sisters.

It wasn't that Lily minded being home, but she knew almost definitely that her place was no longer in her parents' house, but in the wizarding world. She liked visiting, but she liked going back to Hogwarts and back to her independence at the end. Mary and Lily had talked about moving in together at the end of the school year, and with a wizard as a boyfriend... she couldn't imagine Petunia being too happy with him darkening the doorstep too often.

"So James seemed nice," said her Mum, coming in with a tea tray.

"Yes, he is nice," said Lily with a smile. "I can't wait for you to get to know him better."

"Well, it'll be nice for you to have someone here for your holiday. You usually mope around with your father and watch Doctor Who."

Lily chuckled. It was true.

"So tell me about it. Wasn't this the boy you despised for the last few years? How did you come to change your mind about him?"

"Mum," Lily blushed.

"Well forgive me for asking. You know this is something I can relate to, you lead a very different life than I do," Mrs. Evans said.

"Don't guilt me."

"I wasn't."

Lily sat down on the bed next to her mother and reached for a cuppa. "Well, he was made Head Boy. And he's changed over the summer; he's not the little boy who pestered me all the time. And he didn't ask me out once. So before Halloween, I asked him out. We've been together ever since."

"So what is he really like, now that you've gotten to know him?"

Lily thought for a moment, "Well, I suppose he's a true Gryffindor. He's brave and bold, but thankfully less cocky this year. He's chivalrous, and I know you always told us to date boys who opened doors for us. He's brilliant in all his classes, especially transfiguration. And... he's funny and cute and he thinks I'm amazing."

"You are amazing."

"You're supposed to say that, you're my mum."

"Well it's true," she squeezed her daughter in a brief hug. "Now, finish getting settled, and come down to dinner." She stood up.

Lily answered, "Okay, I'll be right down."

Mrs Evans left Lily to her thoughts. She spent the next few days leading up to Christmas in an almost daydream. She went through the motions of muggle-Lily, tidying her room, doing the washing up after dinner, watching telly with her dad, trying not to fight with her sister, but all throughout, she wondered what James was doing. They exchanged a few letters, and Lily was looking forward to Boxing Day. Christmas was almost dull compared to what was happening the next day. Lily tried to repress butterflies as she sat in church, sharing a hymnal with Petunia.

Her butterflies on Christmas were nothing compared to her excitement the next day. She was up early to help Mum tidy the house. They didn't have to cook anything, since the tradition of Boxing Day meant Christmas leftovers. Finally, the time changed to six o'clock and there was a knock on the door. Lily straightened her jumper and answered.

"Happy Christmas, James," she greeted him.

"Happy Christmas, Lily," said James. "Look up."

Lily did, and noticed a clump of mistletoe. "Oh, you-" But she didn't get to finish, with James suddenly kissing her. When she managed to separate from him, she asked, "Would you like to come in, or continue scandalizing the neighbors?"

James laughed, brushed some snow out of his hair and off his cloak before stepping across the threshold. She took his cloak and hung it in the front closet before leading him through to the lounge.

"Welcome to my muggle-world," whispered Lily. "Watch out for Petunias, they're poisonous."

Petunia, it turned out, didn't have much to say to anyone that evening. She looked pale with anger at James' presence, but luckily, he had the good manners not to comment. He talked to Mr. Evans while Lily and her mother set the table, after they brushed him off, saying "guests don't help."

Dinner was uneventful. James of course complemented the cooking, but he wasn't just being a great guest, Mrs. Evans could create delicious meals. It was difficult to get a conversation going; James had never truly been in the muggle world. But Mr. Evans was making a huge effort, and James seemed genuinely curious as to what a telly was. So it was that after dinner, and after James demanded to help Lily with the dishes, that James Potter settled in and watched the muggle news with the Evans. It was a bit... mundane to be honest, but James seemed delighted with the telly. After the ten o'clock news, Petunia and their parents went upstairs, leaving James and Lily in front of the fireplace roasting marshmallows.

"I missed you, Lily,"

"I missed you too, James. I'm pleased you could come," she leaned on his shoulder and twirled her poker above the embers.

"Your parents are really nice," James said.

Lily smiled, "I know. I was really freaked out to discover I was a witch, but they were always so supportive of this new life I'm living, even if it's awkward small talk with my boyfriends."

James laughed.

"Sorry about my sister, though. She's never really... approved of my being a witch. To be honest, I think she's jealous."

"It's okay, she wasn't really bothering me. She didn't say too much."

"Hmm... she's probably more jealous of me now."

"And why would that be?"

"Because I've such an attractive and well mannered boyfriend."

James grinned and kissed her. 

O0O0O

At the end of the night, Lily was loath to see him go, but as he kissed her under the mistletoe again, he reminded her that she only needed to wait four days to see him again. _And really_, Lily thought, _the days have gone by really quickly_. The day after Boxing Day was spent taking down the Christmas decorations, carefully packing delicate ornaments away into the attic. And after that was a whirlwind of laundry and packing and homework that she had neglected over the break. She had to be packed before she left for James' on New Years Eve; the Hogwarts Express left early the next day.

Celebrating the New Year was as fun as Lily had hoped it would be. She arrived at Potter Manor and met James' mother, June Potter. She was propped up on the couch talking to Sirius when she came in. Lily was glad to see that he was making her laugh. Lily could tell that she was very ill indeed; there were deep shadows under her eyes, she looked very thin, and her hair had almost all fallen out. But she looked very festive, she was wearing dress robes of a deep plum that would have looked amazing on her had she not been so thin. On her head she wore a pretty headband and had a poinsettia tucked behind her ear.

"So you are Ms. Evans," she said, shaking her head. "James never stops talking of you."

"How kind of you to say so," said Lily. "He talks of you often, too."

Lily sat and talked with the Potters and Sirius, before they all got up. Sirius and James were taking Lily down to the local pub to go dancing. Lily wore her navy blue dress robes, Sirius wore very handsome red ones, and James wore a deep evergreen.

As the three danced the night away (Sirius with any female who would have him) James told Lily "You're the prettiest girl at the party." She blushed.

It was a wizarding pub, small and crowded with witches and wizards welcoming the new year, tasty drinks all around, and beautiful decorations. As they counted in the New Year, Lily had high hopes for the coming year with James. After being kissed soundly to Auld Lang Syne, they danced for another hour before leaving the pub. Lily kissed James once more, Sirius on the cheek, and apparated home with a "see you later," for them to remember her by. 

O0O0O


	3. Chapter 3

Authors' Note: We do not own Harry Potter or any of the characters, plot, or anything else you recognize, we are not making any money from this story. In truth, the story owns us. Thanks again to F. L. Butler for her mad editing skills! And remember, reviews are made of magical goodness! It is your chance to tell us what you like and what you don't!

CHAPTER THREE

Arriving back at the castle was like a homecoming. She had just been pretending in the muggle world. Now she was back to some of the most important things in her life; her education, her friends, and her budding romance. Not that she tried to think of James that way. But things were going well between them. The time seemed to slip by so quickly that Lily couldn't even keep track of the days, except for the classes that she had. One Saturday in February, Gryffindor beat Slytherin on the Quidditch pitch. They would be playing Ravenclaw in the final in May.

In early March, the steady stream of studies came to a screeching halt. McGonagall came to their dormitory after hours and knocked on the door. Lily let her in, and McGonagall insisted she talk to James in private. Lily left for her bedroom while James watched in fear; too many disappearances, too many deaths at the hand of You-Know-Who...

McGonagall cleared her throat nervously and said, "Mr. Potter, I am terrible sorry to inform you that your mother has passed on this afternoon. I received an owl from your father just a few moments ago."

For James, this wasn't entirely unexpected. He sat down heavily. McGonagall placed her hand on his shoulder, not really knowing what on earth to say to the young man.

"Was she in any pain?" he asked, his voice rough with emotion.

McGonagall passed the letter to him. "By your father's account, it was peaceful. Is there anything I can do for you, Mr. Potter?"

James stared at the letter blankly. McGonagall sighed. "You are excused from classes for a week's time. If you like, I can make the arrangements for you to go home."

"Yes, Professor."

McGonagall turned to go, stopped, and said, "Let me know if you need anything."

When she had left, James sat there a moment, and then moved stiffly towards Lily's room. He knew that she was probably in there worrying, but doubted that she had eavesdropped. He knocked on her door.

She opened it almost immediately, sooner than James could prepare himself to break the news to her.

"My mother," he started, and then Lily wrapped him in a hug. In her arms, he felt his heart break into a thousand pieces and began to cry.

Lily stayed up with him until he fell asleep, then covered him with a blanket on the sofa. She curled up in a chair and watched him until she too drifted off.

Unfortunately, the bad news didn't stop there. The next day, James received word that his father, had passed peacefully in his sleep. Mr. Potter was considerably older than Mrs. Potter had been, but this death, so soon after his mother's death came as a shock to poor James. Lily was reluctant to let James out of her sight, and even received special permission from McGonagall to go home with James for the funeral. An aunt was making the arrangements, and all four marauders would serve as half the pallbearers, with four other relatives making the other half.

So Lily found herself once again at Potter Manor with a now almost unresponsive boyfriend. She did her best to make sure that he was doing okay, but James hadn't cracked a smile in days. Even Sirius couldn't make him do it, though Sirius too was feeling a heavy grief. Lily had only met Mrs. Potter once and Mr. Potter twice, but she knew enough to know they'd be extremely missed.

Lily spent the nights without invitation in James' bed. They were both curled in flannel pyjamas and several blankets. James spent the nights shivering, even when he was sleeping. Lily began to worry even more. The day of the funeral was cold and rainy, _appropriate_ Lily couldn't help but think. She put on the dark blue dress robes she had worn when she first met Mrs. Potter with a black hairband and black shoes. James wore his dark green dress robes, but Sirius and the rest of the Marauders wore black. Actually, nearly everyone had worn black.

James remembered very little of the funeral. Dumbledore had given the eulogy, wizards had shaken his hand with tears in their eyes, and he was given tight hugs and cried on by most of his relatives. However James couldn't really fathom what on earth was going on. He and Sirius had carried his father, along with a few cousins, while Remus and Peter took his mother. The burial was cold and wet, and the only bright spot were the Marauders and Lily surrounding him, almost protecting him from anyone else's grief.

That night, the family came back to the house to eat dinner together. James and Sirius somehow managed to get their hands on some firewiskey and they were thoroughly drunk by the time Lily succeeded in putting them to sleep. Yet she wasn't in any position to reprimand them. Remus and Peter would be returning to Hogwarts, Sirius, James, and Lily would leave the day after.

O0O0O

James woke the next morning to the sight of his girlfriend watching him sleep.

"Morning," he said groggily and snuggled up to her.

"Good morning," she returned, kissing his cheek. "How do you feel?"

James grunted. Lily couldn't decide if it was the hangover or the grief. "I'll go make you some tea," she went to roll out of the bed. James latched onto her.

"Stay," he said, looking so devastated at the thought of her leaving that her heart broke for him, _again_.

"Okay," she agreed, pulling him closer. She stroked his back in soothing circles.

He sighed, relaxing into her gentle touch. As helpful as his friends had been, he didn't know what he would have done without Lily this past week. She had even slept in his bed, for Merlin's sake. And didn't Padfoot always insist that he snored? And now she was rubbing his back... it felt amazing. She was amazing. He opened his eyes again. Gazing at her, trying to focus without his glasses, he seemed to come to a decision. "I love you," he said without preamble.

Lily smiled at him. "It doesn't count if you say it in bed."

James blushed. "But it's true," he insisted.

Lily, for her part, hadn't stopped smiling. "James, I love you too."

"Don't say it if you don't mean it."

She looked ruffled at that, "I wouldn't have said it if I didn't mean it."

He smiled at her. "Good. Because I meant it too."

Suddenly there was a sharp knock on the door. From the other side, they could hear Sirius shout "Hand check!"

"Go away, Padfoot!" James shouted. Sirius did just the opposite. He opened the door and bounded in, as if looking for a place to cuddle.

"Don't even think about it, Black," said Lily.

"Think about what, Lily?"

"Getting in this bed."

"Well can Padfoot cuddle?"

"How are you _not _hungover?" James demanded. Sirius had suddenly transformed into a giant black dog and bounded on the bed. Turning around three times, he settled on their feet. It was extremely uncomfortable as he was so massive.

Just then, Remus and Peter entered.

"Did you send out invitations?" Lily asked James.

"No," said James. Neither were really annoyed, as all five made room for each other on the bed.

"So what happens now?" asked Remus.

"Well, we go back to school," said Peter.

"After that."

There was silence. "I don't know," said James finally. "I guess we'll have to play it by ear."

O0O0O

As the term progressed, James was still understandably depressed. Lily wasn't afraid to leave him alone anymore, so the two slept in their proper beds. But they still spent as much time as possible together. And he reminded her whenever they were alone that he loved her, and she assured him that she loved him back.

But while Lily felt for James, she also wanted to cheer him up. So one day she approached Sirius before James came to breakfast.

"Sirius,"

"That's my name, don't wear it out,"

"Shut up. We need to cheer up James."

"Yes I know. What did you have in mind?"

Lily was suddenly suspicious, "What did _you_ have in mind?"

Sirius winked, and said enigmatically, "Well, it's nearly April first."

Lily decided not to pursue the subject.

O0O0O

When James had been told that the Marauders would be pulling off their Seventh Year Prank to End All Pranks on April the First, he had been a little concerned. Given the outcome of their last "prank" that nearly tore apart their friendship, this was understandable. But as the four started planning, James couldn't help but feel excited. This prank wouldn't hurt anyone, he knew, and the property damage would be minimal. The prank was a bit old, but all four were up for it.

So at 5:30am on the first of April, he rolled out of bed, scribbled Lily a note that he would see her later, and _don't wear any jewelry today. And seal the door on your way out_, he added as an afterthought, then stole out of their dorm. He met the rest of the Marauders in the Entrance Hall. They strode out the front door and down the lawn to where Kettleburn kept the safer magical creatures. Peter took the lead here, he opened the door and led them to the niffler pens. Sure enough, there were seven of them rooting around. Remus charmed shirts on them with the Hogwarts Crest on one side, and numbers on the other; 1, 2, 4, 5, 6, 7, and 8. The Marauders then put them on leashes and pulled them up to the castle. After that, the prank pulled itself. They let the nifflers free, after trying to convince them to bring back their plunder to the Entrance Hall. They then rushed down to the kitchens, hoping none of the cuddly treasure seekers would follow them.

The four remained in the kitchens, well out of the way of the House-Elves until breakfast was sure to be over. After this, they flat out ran to their classes, using as many secret passageways as possible and hoping against hope that they would be above suspicion.

Of course, they were the biggest pranksters in the school and therefor were not exactly above suspicion. When they went down to lunch with the rest of the school, the Entrance Hall was a veritable Aladdin's cave of things the nifflers had found. All around there were piles of instruments from the astronomy tower, slide combs and earrings, suits of armor, what looked like all of the trophies from the trophy room, a collection of paintings that happened to have gilded frames, a few pewter cauldrons from the dungeons, complete with scales, silverware from the Great Hall, and a few knuts that dozens of students had dropped over the years.

They were in so much trouble. No sooner had this thought entered their minds when McGonagall swooped up behind them. "You four. My office. Now."

The followed her as they marched to her office, exchanging covert grins at the mischief they had caused. James could hardly keep from cracking up. This is the first time he was really pleased about something in a very long time. The prank was successful and even though they would probably be forced to corral the nifflers and restore all the items, plus who knew how much detention... it had been worth it. It had been hilarious, watching all those students stare at the pile of treasure with wide eyes.

They all filed into McGonagall's office and sat in the chairs she had conjured. "Explain," was all she said. Her mouth was tight, but James thought he saw amusement gleaming in her eye.

"April Fools?" tried James and Sirius at the same time.

"Indeed," replied McGonagall. "Lucky for you, you haven't disrupted any of _my_ classes. However, the rest of the staff, Professor Slughorn especially, feel that you should be suitably punished. I am willing to be lenient this time. Four nifflers have already been caught and returned to their pens. You will round up the remaining three nifflers, I feel certain that you had seven and misnumbered them?"

"How did you know?" exclaimed Peter.

McGonagall raised an eyebrow. "We have spoken to Professor Kettleburn who informed us that he had seven nifflers. As I was saying, you will round up the remaining three nifflers, and after you've finished with that, you may put the school to rights. The portraits will help you get to the correct places, as will the suits of armor. Bring the cauldrons and scales down to the dungeons, the telescopes to the astronomy tower, and any personal items to me. I will ensure they are returned to their rightful owners. You are not allowed to skip any classes. Any questions?" she said sharply.

The four shook their heads.

"Then I suggest you get to work."

O0O0O

Lily woke up on April 1st with a sense of dread. She knew the Marauders were plotting something. Sirius had rather tipped her off, and she had hardly seen James over the past few weeks or so. So when she read James' note that morning, she had half a mind to barricade herself against whatever was out there. Yet she was Head Girl, and a Gryffindor. Surely she could take whatever the Marauders could throw at the school. Right?

But when it turned out to be nifflers, when she saw that giant pile of booty that they had managed to collect, Lily couldn't help but laugh. This was guaranteed to cheer up James. Nifflers were adorable. And this prank wasn't half dangerous.

So when Severus glared daggers at her, as if to say _see? He's still a prat, _Lily couldn't help but roll her eyes. Sure, she knew that last year she would have probably agreed with Severus, but this year, she saw it for what is was. A harmless prank. And this was the first time she'd seen him smile in weeks. How could she reprimand him?

James was late getting back to their dormitory that night. Lily was waiting for him with some food she's gotten from the kitchens, knowing full well he and his friends skipped the meal.

"Good one, Potter," she teased when he came into the room.

He grinned at her, "Thanks, Evans."

She was just glad to have her teasing, laughing boyfriend back.

O0O0O

The entire school seemed to be under so much stress, more stress than usual due to the coming exams. Or was that the seventh years projecting on to the rest of the school? Lily couldn't decide and she couldn't have cared less. Gryffindor had won their final Quidditch match, resulting in one night of stress-free partying in the Gryffindor common room (after which, James had snogged her senseless in a secret passageway). That was also the night Sirius carelessly go the Marauder's Map confiscated by Filch; he'd never quite explained what he was doing...

But then James kept wanting to have stressful conversations about what her plans were after school. Really, Lily just wanted to get through her exams in June. That was all. That was the plan.

Except, his plans were different. He was still studying hard for the exams of course, but... he confided in whispers, he wanted to join the Order of the Phoenix. And really, Lily was curious about the Order herself, so the two sent a Patronus message to Dumbledore.

He talked to them very seriously about joining. He assured them that he would take all the help he could get, but he wasn't recruiting them (or anyone else) specifically. It would be absolutely grueling, both physically and mentally. He personally felt they were up to the challenge, but might need to put their lives on hold for a bit.

James had responded that he _wanted_ to do this, as opposed to wasting three years in Auror training. He had the money to support himself and then some. The Potters were wealthy.

Dumbledore turned to Lily, "And you Ms Evans?"

Lily thought hard for a moment. "Well, I suppose I'm doing this because... I'm a mudblood." James flinched at her use of insult, but Dumbledore continued gazing steadily at her. "I just don't want to see good witches and wizards persecuted because of their birth; it's not right, it's not fair, and it's not funny. I want to help, even if it means I'll have to wait for healer's training. This is just as worthwhile a cause."

After this tirade, James offered the Potter Manor as a place of Head Quarters, Dumbledore agreed (Lily hadn't expected that). Still. It was a solid plan (that scared Lily, but fear was a good thing, or so Dumbledore said. Fear makes us human, as does love). As James said in March, they would just have to play things by ear.

James told his friends right away; Remus and Sirius readily agreed. Peter took a bit longer to decide, but joined them in the end.

For her part, Mary was horrified. "You may as well make a target of your pretty little head of yours!"

But Lily couldn't think about any of this now. Not the future, or the past, nothing beyond the realm of the NEWTS. All the exams ran a written portion and then not one, but two practicals. That was fifteen exams in three weeks time. Potions were a snap, of course (and since she decided when patrols were, she would be able to miss all of the "slug club" happenings), and Defence Against the Dark Arts went well (Panoply had somehow taken seven years of hodgepodge and made them all make sense). Transfiguration was harder on Lily than it was on James, but James then bowed to her Charms superiority. And as Lily planted her last mandrake in her second Herbology practical, she couldn't help but heave a sigh of relief.

That night, to celebrate the end of all the exams, the Marauders, Lily, and Mary relaxed around in the Heads' dormitory, exchanging jokes and drinking butterbeer and eating sweets until Mary, Sirius, Remus and Peter left sometime after midnight.

"I can't quite believe that this is the end of Hogwarts," said Lily.

"Well it's not the end of Hogwarts," said James. "Just our time here. Our kids will come here of course."

"_Our_ kids?"

James flushed, "Maybe not _ours_," he said gesturing awkwardly. "But mine and yours."

Lily laughed. He had implied the same thing. Instead of pointing it out, she cuddled up next to him. "If it's all the same to you, I'd like to wait until we're done fighting the forces of evil before sending some children on the Hogwarts Express."

James wrapped an arm around her and dropped a kiss into her hair. "That would be the most sensible plan."

"Hmmm," Lily agreed. She was oh, so comfortable... his heart was beating next to her ear... he was pleasantly warm... She allowed herself to drift off to sleep. When she woke with a start, it was morning, and James was still asleep; his glasses were askew and his hair was impossibly ruffled. Last night's brief conversation floated back to her, _Merlin's pants, did she really just discuss having children with him? _Shaking her head, she extracted herself from his embrace and went to take a shower. All the seventh years would be receiving a diploma from Dumbledore that afternoon, and she wanted to be awake for it.

After she had dressed, she opened her bedroom door to find that James had also woken up, and by the sounds of things, he was now showering. Lily began packing her things in her trunk. She had made a start (it had been therapeutic, throwing each book in after she had finished its respective exam). But now she needed to finish packing her clothes and other odds and ends that had floated around the dormitory. James stumbled out of his room, looking to do the same. They emptied their desks, trying not to be nostalgic for the past golden year that was concluding on them.

"I think that's everything," said James.

"Yeah... I need to take a few things to the library before we all meet with Dumbledore," said Lily. She straightened the pillows on the sofa one last time. "I'm really going to miss all this."

James hugged her from behind, resting his chin gently on her shoulder. She felt herself relaxing in to him again.

"Me too. Lots of good memories in here," he paused as they both remembered... the awkward beginnings, her asking him out, snogging on the sofa, homework and stress, Patronuses, bad news, good news, and the mundane day to day things of living a life at Hogwarts. "What are you going to do now?" he asked.

"Well, go home for a bit," said Lily. "But I don't want to live there too long. I don't want to draw too much attention to my family."

"You can always move in with me," he said. Then, as if covering his tracks he said quickly, "I mean, you can have your own room, of course."

Lily smiled. _Oh James_. "Thanks, but no. I'm going to try my hand at living on my own at first."

"I just thought I'd offer."

"I appreciate it." She glanced at his watch. "We should go."

They made their way, first to the library, then down to the Great Hall. Dumbledore congratulated them all on completing seven years at Hogwarts Magical School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Their heads of houses distributed rolls of parchment stating the same.

Dumbledore went on, "It is my dearest hope that the magic you have been taught here will aid you in your future endeavors, whichever path you choose. May it never steer you wrong, and may the lessons you've learned within these walls remain with you all your days. Each and every one of you are powerful beings. Perhaps it seems inappropriate today to warn you of the dangerous days that await you; I certainly hope that no harm comes your ways. But remember to be true to your experience at Hogwarts. And never poke a sleeping dragon."

The seventh years cheered at his speech (all except most of the Slytherin table, which everyone else tried to ignore). With their crisp new diplomas in hand, they settled in further for the feast. The rest of the school flooded in, and everyone celebrated the end of the year, and with Gryffindor secure with the house cup in their possession, their celebration was the loudest of all. It was a good way to end seven years of magical education.

O0O0O


	4. Chapter 4

Authors' Note: We do not own Harry Potter or any of the characters, plot, or anything else you recognize, we are not making any money from this story. In truth, the story owns us. F. L. Butler is such a rockstar for beta'ing this! Please review- they're magically delicious!

CHAPTER FOUR

Lily had been home for a total of three days when her parents asked her to meet with them "about her future." Lily was worried that someone had told them about the war (though as far as she knew, they weren't in contact with anyone in the wizarding world). So Mrs. Evans made tea and she sat down with her mum and dad.

"As you know, your mother and I have saved a trust fund for you and for your sister that we were turning over to you when you turned twenty-one," Mr. Evans began.

"Yes..." said Lily. She'd known about this trust fund all her life.

"Well, your father and I decided that, because you are of age in your world, that you could have yours early," continued Mrs. Evans. "And we've decided that Petunia can have hers when she's eighteen. So, if you want to move out, you see, you can afford to. You've always had that independent streak of yours."

Lily smiled. "Mum, Dad..." she hugged them fiercely. "This means _so much_ to me, I can't even tell you."

They grinned back at her.

"It was my idea," said her father.

So Lily began looking for reasonably priced flats in London. She settled on Camden Town because, while she liked the idea of living in Diagon Alley, she couldn't quite afford to live there. And Camden was cool; Lily enjoyed frequenting the markets when she was flat hunting. Finally one day she scored one; it was tiny, a studio affair with a galley style kitchen, but so charming. And affordable, which was the best thing.

James was ecstatic. He helped her move in (her parents also insisted on helping). She didn't have much, but she had enough to fill the tiny flat. When her parents left that evening, she and James ordered a Chinese takeaway and James provided a bottle of cheap, elvish made wine. The two got tipsy, danced around for a bit, reveling in Lily's freedom, and collapsed on her freshly made bed.

Lily loved her new place, she loved her new freedom, and she loved the fact that (for now at least) she didn't have to work to make ends' meet. She loved having Mary over, or other friends, and James sometimes spent the night. But Lily wasn't completely impractical; she placed some basic shielding charms on her place, and on her parents' house. She was working for the Order of the Phoenix, after all.

o0O0o

It was Lily's first Order meeting, as she was acutely aware. In less than an hour, the rest of the Order of the Phoenix would descend on Potter Manor, and life would never be the same again.

"Lily, you really don't need to set out biscuits," said Alice calmly, brushing her blonde hair into a ponytail.

Lily sighed, "Well, I just want the meeting to go well!"

"We're drawing up battle plans, not planning a garden party," said Sirius cockily. As it was his first Order meeting as well, Lily thought he was being a bit rash.

"Whatever," she stalked into the entrance way and stared out the window. Though Frank, Alice, and the Marauders were at the Manor, the meeting wasn't supposed to start until two. It was barely one fifteen. And yet... and yet there were two wizards and a witch coming up the walk.

"James? Do you recognize these people?"

James came bounding up to the window, followed by Sirius.

"Uh oh," said Sirius.

"What?" demanded Lily. "Who are they?" One of the men had long blonde hair, the other man and the woman were both very dark. All three had haughty expressions on their faces, and looked as though they were entrusted with a very noble task indeed.

"I'd bet my life they're Death Eaters. That's dear cousin Bellatrix, with her fiance Rodolphus Lestrange, and brother-in-law, Lucius Malfoy."

"Shit," said James. He called into the kitchen, "Hey guys? Death Eaters at the door. Yes, already."

But the trio outside did something no one expected.

They knocked.

James slipped his wand out of the back of his pocket, and let it shift restlessly through his fingers. Since they knocked, it must mean they didn't want confrontation. Then what the hell did they want?

Though he knew she was more than capable of taking care of herself, James positioned himself as close to Lily as possible.

"Should we open it?" Lily hissed. She too had her wand at the ready.

"They wouldn't have bothered to knock if they were going to curse us on sight, I guess." He theorized. She wasn't convinced, but she tucked her wand hand behind her back and stepped forward to greet their new guests. They waited until everyone else was safely out of sight, however.

When they swung the door open, Lily and James made no pretense to hide their hostility towards the newcomers.

"Can we help you?" her words were calm, but Lily's voice burned.

"We're here to make you an offer," the tall blonde one - Lucius Malfoy - bowed a bit as he spoke. A sign of respect? More likely a sign of respect for whatever evil mission You-Know-Who sent him on. Out of habit, James slid an arm around Lily's waist.

"We're not interested," Lily intoned, and began to shut the door, but Rodolphus, a great bulk of a man, reached out a meaty hand and stopped it.

"You want to hear what we have to say," he told her. Unlike Lucius, who took the faux-polite approach, Rodolphus had no problem with contrite and rude. Bellatrix said nothing, but put them at even more unease. She had eyes only for Lily. Perhaps it was a jealous female thing, but she wrapped her arms around her fiance, and glared at the redhead with a smirk on her bulbous lips. This got under Lily's skin more than Rodolphus's hulking act, or Lucius's slippery one.

"We really don't," James put in, but didn't allow his voice to rise above a polite murmur, though his instincts were screaming.

Lucius's bony fingers inched toward the folds in his robes - a sure sign that he was going for his wand. James sucked in a breath to prepare for what could potentially be a shoot out, right in his front lawn, when a small round face popped up at his side. Alice grinned up at them, and then out at the Death Eaters as if nothing in the world was amiss.

"Problem gents?" She darted her gaze between Lucius and James. "Because we've got more tarts to ice and time's a wastin'."

Her cheerful manner and flippant words served only to enrage the trio on the stoop. Rodolphus broke first. His thick fingers wrapped around a wand of deep oak, twisted and gnarled.

"This is no joke! The Dark Lord is giving you an order! You must obey!" Spittle flew from his purplish lips. Frank Longbottom appeared next to his girlfriend, and put a comforting hand on her shoulder. Four against three clearly wasn't the best of odds for the Death Eaters, and they didn't even know about Sirius, Remus and Peter hiding in the kitchen. Still, Rodolphus had started the fray, and quickly found himself at the end of four well-aimed wands. Bellatrix and Lucius drew theirs also out of instinct, though Lucius looked less and less like he wanted to engage in a scuffle as the seconds passed.

"There is no need for violence," Lucius intoned quietly. "But the Dark Lord does not like to be refused. There will be consequences, of that you can be sure."

"Try me," Lily ground out. She was gripping her wand so tight her knuckles were turning white, but her hand didn't shake in the slightest.

"Rodolphus," Bellatrix finally hissed her first word of the conversation. At the sound of his betrothed's voice, the wall of a man started just a bit, and lowered his wand a fraction.

With a smile made of venom, Bellatrix wrapped her arms around his shoulders.

"There are other ways to punish traitors and mudbloods," she grinned, her gaze still pinned on Lily. James raised his wand with every intention of striking Bellatrix down for that horrible comment, but Lily grabbed a hold of his wrist and shoved it down.

"Get off this lawn," Lily rolled out the words slowly, but each one rang with force.

"This isn't over," Lucius's collected visage broke and his face contorted with rage, but before Lily or James could get a word in edgewise, he disapparated. Once his slow brain caught on to what was happening, Rodolphus too disappeared into the evening. Bellatrix shot Lily one last malicious grin before joining her friends.

As Bella disappeared, Lily relaxed against the door frame, hiding behind a curtain of red hair. She simply counted her breaths for a few moments as the Marauders, Frank and Alice talked around her. After a few minutes, they fell silent. Lily looked up to see Albus Dumbledore striding up the pathway. Lily was sure that he could tell by their faces that something was amiss.

Sure enough, the first words out of his mouth were not a greeting, but simply, "What has happened?"

"Oh, we were just called upon by some of my dear family members," Sirius bit out, scathingly.

"Indeed," said Dumbldore. "Shall we go inside to discuss matters further?"

They waited until the other members of the Order arrived. Introductions were briefly made, before James and Alice launched into their story.

Dumbledore nodded. "Well I cannot say I am surprised. You are not the only members of this Order that have been approached by Voldemort's supporters." A shudder at the name went around the table.

Business at the meeting was brisk. A few people gave reports, but really the main point of the meeting was to give the newbies their assignments. Lily would be assisting the guarding of 10 Downing Street with Marlene McKinnon and the Prewett brothers. The Marauders were given the task of spying in pubs and so on around the country. Sirius seemed especially pleased at the assignment. Frank and Alice would be assisting Mad-Eye Moody guard the Royal Family. Lily had heard tell of Mad-Eye; he was just as intimidating as everyone said, but oddly, she couldn't help trusting him. All of them were expected to learn the Patronus. Lily and James were to teach them.

Before they knew it, the meeting was over and everyone was on their way.

But Lily knew the work had just begun.

o0O0o

Diane Panoply was spending her Wednesday night as she often spent most Wednesday nights during the summer - plopped in front of her table, pouring over old books with a mug of tea in one hand and a quill in the other. Her fingers had long since turned black from the ink that was scribbled all over the various books and bits of parchment in her possession.

Though no one knew it yet, she was writing a book of her own - a history of Defense Against the Dark Arts. It was only a pile of parchment loosely bound together, and was constantly being updated and edited, but it was her treasure. Come fall, she would approach Headmaster Dumbledore about using her new text as assigned classroom reading. He'd let professors in the past use their own texts as reading, so why not her? She pushed her thick reading glasses further up her nose with a defiant little grin.

The cool wind of evening whipped through her window, and sent the multitude of candles flickering. Annoyed, she picked up her wand from where it sat haphazardly on top of a pile of parchment, and flicked it at the window. They slammed shut with a loud bang, and the candle light settled.

_Good,_she thought. _Back to work._ She had already outlined the following term's lesson plans in great detail, and re-read through the books she planned to assign. A good teacher kept up with her students.

Her quill moved automatically, it seemed, and she hardly needed to look at what she was writing. One eye on the text, one eye on her notes. Loose drops of ink splattered this way and that, staining page and clothing alike. Nothing a good wave of her wand wouldn't remove, but at that precise moment, she was in the zone. She was totally absorbed in her work. So absorbed, in fact, that she didn't hear the crunch of boots coming up the front walk.

There was a rap on her door. Probably the neighbor kids. They were always bothering her about silly thinks like milk and cookies. As if single older women were automatically supposed to have sweets available on hand for passers-by! Or perhaps it was Ronan, the elderly gentleman from two doors down, who was convinced that she would marry him, if only he asked enough times. The honest truth was, Diane was far too in love with her books and papers and teaching position to ever waste time with something like a relationship.

The knock was louder this time. It sounded as if someone was banging a piece of wood against her door! Goodness! Perhaps Ronan finally got desperate enough to become violent! She had always, in a tiny corner of her mind, wondered how far he would go to get her. She was almost flattered. Almost.

She set down her mug, and replaced her quill gently back in it's sterling silver holder. (A gift from Minerva McGonagall for Christmas one year.) Then, with a squeak of wood on wood, she shoved her chair back, and began to waddle towards the door.

The door opened before she got there. Or, more aptly, it was blown clear off its hinges and landed with a crash against the far wall before she got there. Lucky she wasn't standing in front of it, or she would have been squashed, and wouldn't be able to witness the two hulking figures that were filing into her living room.

"What on Earth...!" She began to shriek, and turned back towards her desk to grab her wand, but shouted words stopped her.

"_Petrificus Totalus_!" the hoarse voice of a male boomed through her small cottage, and immediately all Diane's muscles became rigid and immovable. If she'd been able to make a sound, she would have screamed, but her voice was trapped in her throat. She hit the ground with a thud, her head narrowly missing the wooden coffee table.

"You had her for DADA, didn't you Yaxley?" an unfamiliar man obscured by a black hood sneered down at her frozen form.

"Yep! Hated every minute of it. Defense Against the Dark Arts! What a waste of time." the second man replied. They both pulled off their hoods and their faces were revealed in the candle light. Arthur Yaxley and Barty Crouch Jr., both former students of hers, now looked down on her as if she were nothing more than a rug to be stepped on.

Yaxley raised a huge boot and brought it down hard on her stomach. A scream rose up in her throat, but her muscles wouldn't push it through, her mouth wouldn't provide it release and so it remained choked in her throat.

She tasted blood that welled up and out from between her lips, going where even noise could not.

"Why are we killing this old bag again?" Barty asked, as he turned his attention away from the woman on the floor and instead decided to rifle through her things for valuables. She'd be dead within five minutes anyway. It's not like she'd need anything.

"The Dark Lord needed to set an example for some scummy Order of the Phoenix members," Yaxley explained in a voice almost bored. "That Potter and his mudblood girlfriend. And he thought killing this bitch would be a good idea."

At the mention of the Order, Diane's eyes widened just a bit, and her fingers twitched. Neither man noticed, but she'd moved. James Potter and Lily Evans were both magnificent students when she'd had them, and wonderful people now that they had emerged into the world. She tried not to have favorites, but if she had to chose, they'd be it. The mere thought of them being in danger sent her into a fit of rage - one, sadly, that could only be shown by ever-so-slightly bending the rigidity of the body bind she'd been put under.

A lifetime of dedication to counteracting the Dark Arts made Diane Panoply one of the most capable women in the world to fight these two intruders, and even though she was currently unable to move, let alone reach her wand, she was already plotting out which hexes and jinxes to place on them when she got free.

"Works for me," Barty took his eyes off the beautiful dragon egg that Diane kept on her mantle piece - very valuable - and flicked his wand in his general direction.

"_Crucio,"_ he spat out forcefully. The pain was beyond immense. If her body wasn't frozen, she would surely have lost control of her bodily functions. All those curses and hexes and jinxes she was planning for the Death Eaters vanished as her mind was consumed by only the thought of pain. No screaming, no pleading, no begging for mercy - just one old lady laying still on the floor. The only indication that her body was on fire was the slight twitch in her left fingers and the capillaries that burst behind her eyelids.

Yaxley grinned over at his friend.

"It's too bad she's got nosy neighbors," he joked. "I would love to hear this one scream."

"Besides," Barty continued, "she still feels the pain, and that's all the Dark Lord cares about." While his friend inflicted Panoply with another round of _Crucio_, Barty took the dragon's egg of the mantle piece and slipped it into his cloak. He also took the expensive-looking paper weight, and the small jar full of sickles and knuts that she had been saving to spend on a trip to the country side. The rest of it - the little glass cat collection, the figurines, the framed picture of a rare flower that she'd taken when she was in Wellsley - he tipped over and let gravity take it to the floor where it smashed re-soundly into thousands of tiny pieces.

This had always been his favorite part. The destroying of the home. Sure, torturing muggles and stupid Muggle-lovers had always given him a measure of satisfaction, but nothing felt quite as good as crushing someone's belongings into oblivion. There wasn't much to destroy here - the woman seemed to keep only mugs, tea, and papers - not even a cat to kill! He learned a lot about a person from the things they kept in their home.

Minutes dripped slowly into hours. Not once did they unfreeze her, give her the opportunity to go for her wand. She figured they'd at least unbind her so that they could hear the measure of her pain, but they didn't seem to care. For three hours she watched as Barty Crouch Jr. went through her cupboards one by one and smashed each plate and mug into pieces. The worst of it was when he got to her desk. All the books, all the parchment - even her own manuscript which she'd spent hundreds of loving hours on - was dumped into the fire.

She was forced to watch at the pages curled up at the ends, and then caught fire completely. Her life's work went up in smoke, and she couldn't even move her lungs to sob. Tears spilled from her eyes, though, hot and wet down her pale face. When Yaxley first discovered these tears, he laughed out loud, and made a huge deal of sharing them with his friend, who frankly didn't seem to care. After a while, though, they lost their appeal, and he just kept up his stream of curses, of kicks, of beatings.

"It's good enough," Barty said finally, after he'd searched the very last cupboard he could open and found nothing left to smash. "Let's get out of here before someone decides they want to have tea with the old bird."

Diane Panoply looked into the eyes of her killers and found only boredom. Three hours and twenty two minutes of pain and heartbreak she'd suffered at the hands of these men, and the only emotion they saw fit to give her was boredom.

"You want to do it or should I?" Yaxley asked.

"You go ahead. You're buying the rounds tonight, too." Barty Crouch Jr. headed for the door, and shrieked out the curse that set the Dark Mark above the house.

"Fine," Yaxley said with a pout, then raised his wand. "_Avada Kadavra_."

Her last thoughts were of poor Ronan. He'd certainly get a surprise if he came over to propose to her tonight.

o0O0o

Summer passed in a whirl of Order duties, thought brought to a shocking halt with the news that Diane Panoply had died at the hands of a pair of Death Eaters. While they mourned her loss, time, and Order duties, marched on.

Sirius had been making noises for a few weeks about his intentions of moving out. He had inherited some money from his favorite Uncle Alphard. James insisted that there was no need for Sirius to move out, he was perfectly welcome at Potter Manor.

But Sirius had begun to feel like a third wheel. While Lily was fiercely independent and still lived in her own flat, she did spend a lot of time at Potter Manor. It was only natural, reasoned Sirius, yet he was tired of hanging around. So he got a flat in the slightly dodgy area of the East End and moved out.

September the First came and went; Lily was busy of course with Order duties and James sweeping her off her feet, but she couldn't help notice with a pang that she wasn't climbing aboard the Hogwarts Express. It felt a bit odd. Still, life moved on... Alice had eloped with Frank, to the surprise of absolutely no one. At the Order's celebration, James danced with Lily and she couldn't help notice knowing looks coming at her from all sides.

Halloween came, and she and James celebrated their first anniversary. He got her a book on potions, she got him a copy of "Quidditch Through the Ages," a first edition.

James celebrated Christmas with the Marauders at Mrs Pettigrew's, and Lily with her family. Kept busy by Order duties, she felt she was ignoring her parents. But Boxing Day found James and Lily together again at the Evans'. Petunia was nowhere to be found.


	5. Chapter 5

Summary: This is the story of how a young couple defied their fate and changed the world they lived in. This is the story of how they fell in love, of how they fought for their beliefs, and how they sacrificed everything for the future. This is the story of James and Lily Potter.

Rating: T

Authors' Note: We do not own Harry Potter or any of the characters, plot, or anything else you recognize, we are not making any money from this story. In truth, the story owns us. Eternal gratitude to F. L. Butler for the beta. If you like the story, leave a review! If you don't like it, also leave a review! We love reviews!

CHAPTER FIVE

No one was supposed to know of their arrival. The Order of the Phoenix had done, up until that point, an excellent job of flying under the radar. Their attacks on Voldemort's Death Eaters were completely without warning. They were in and out with bursts of light and singe marks on furniture as their only proof of existence. They were beginning to make the Death Eaters worried, Lily knew. It wasn't just that these great brutes couldn't understand how a small group of wizards could fight back so viciously. Twenty four people, half of whom were fresh out of Hogwarts, against the multitude of beings at Voldemort's command.

Still, they were gaining back ground on the battle field, though their steps were small and the obstacles they had to climb were immense. Lily had a funny feeling about that day. Not a bad one, necessarily, just a funny one, as if something were different about today than most days. It was silly to think, of course, because so far the day was proceeding just like any other. She woke up way too early, more than pleased to find James tangled around her with his funny black hair sticking up at all angles in sleep. She was roused by none other than Albus Dumbledore himself who took no mind of the fact that she'd pried the door open wearing James's boxer shorts and a bathrobe. The rest of the Order steadily trickled in over the course of the morning, and she did her best to feed everybody a decent breakfast. (She did eventually also put on real clothes.)

Their plan was a simple one; one they hadn't tried before, but then Moody thought that was a good idea. "Always keep 'em on their toes." He'd said. "We use the same attack too much and they'll start to guess our moves." He seemed pretty sure it would work, however, and Lily trusted in his strategy skills completely. So they went. Moody, Lily, James, Sirius, and the Longbottoms. Nerves ran high like they always did, but each person was ready - ready to fight, ready to die if necessary. Of course that wasn't Plan A.

Lily went in first, despite James's protests, with her wand steady in her hand and her mind completely calm. Moody had figured there were going to be at least six Death eaters in the building, convening, no doubt, to further He-Who-Shall-Not-Be-Named's destruction. They were evenly matched, and unless the Death Eaters were close to the Dark Lord, or the Dark Lord himself, they'd be more than powerful enough to take them on. It was only a matter of keeping a cool head and getting the job done.

After that, there was only silence. Silence as she stepped into the room. Silence as flashes of green and red light sparked the air like fireworks. Silence erupted from James's mouth as a hot ball of flame spewed out of a Death Eater's wand and engulfed Lily's pale hands, and it was silence that wrapped its arms around her and became her companion as she fell into darkness.

It was all over in a matter of seconds. If he'd have come into the room a half a minute later, all he would see was smoke and rubble where an empty room once stood. Alice Longbottom, who was the last one to enter the room, didn't seem to have any idea what had happened, only that there were four dead Death Eaters lying on the ground with bits of cement ground into their face, and James Potter screaming over a red-haired lump. She was a brave one, Alice. She'd never run from a fight, never let the hissed _Crucio_'s that were aimed at her stop her from getting the job done; but when she saw James's dusty face mottled with tears, shaking the unconscious body of her friend, she had no other option but to run to the hall and splatter the contents of Lily's delicious breakfast onto the wall.

James was dead; or he may as well have been. He swore his heart had stopped beating the moment Lily's screams of pain got swallowed up by the dull cement walls, and he hadn't managed to restart it. Not when the medics from St Mungo's arrived and apparated her out. Not when he nearly dismembered the dead body of a Death Eater. Not even when he himself had gone through the stomach-sucking, breath-stealing, utterly dizzying process of apparition and was taken to St Mungo's for "burns and lacerations." The Healers didn't seem to notice the small matter of the fire that burned hot where his heart should have been. That was just fine, he thought, as he lay in his hospital bed. It didn't really matter anymore.

"This is the quietest I've ever seen him," Sirius's voice drifted in from the doorway, hours later. "Do you think he's still unconscious?"

James responded with a very rude hand gesture that had both Sirius and Remus snorting with laughter.

"Fine," Sirius said, shaking his long black hair out of his face as he turned to leave. "We won't tell you how Lily is doing then."

James shot up in an instant, ignoring the pain in his head and the gigantic lump that seemed to have formed there since he woke up.

"Lily? Tell me. Is she okay?"

"Well, the Healers say she's fine, but they want to keep her under observation, which means we can't visit her," Remus said nonchalantly, strolling up to James' bed.

"So naturally I darted back to yours and got your invisibility cloak," said Sirius.

"And Padfoot and I have already come up with a distraction."

"I'm going to faint and attract all the attention, particularly of the female population of Healers, and then you are going to sneak in and see Lily," Sirius finished.

Amazingly, the plan worked just as well as Moony and Padfoot had said it would. Sirius fainted, Remus and all the Healers fawned over him, and James ducked in to Lily's ward. He strode purposefully over to her bed, pulled the curtain when he hoped no one was looking, and took off his cloak.

She was alive, but pale against the white sheets. Paler than usual. Her hair stood out in stark contrast against the pillow. Her hands were bandaged and there was a stench of burned skin in the air. Luckily, she had dropped her wand before the curse hit her. James had somehow managed to grab it from the scene, and he now placed it on her bedside table. He sat down gently on the bed; Lily murmured something completely incomprehensible. Her brow was furrowed in pain. James reached over and gently brushed her hair back out of her eyes and tucked it behind her ear. At his touch, her eyes opened slowly. The green brilliance of her eyes shone bright with pain.

James was unable to take her hand, so instead he stroked her cheek, "How do you feel?"

"I used to use my hands," she joked.

James offered her a tight smile. "That's not what I meant."

"I know. It hurts like hell. Better?"

"I guess."

"Water?" she asked.

James conjured up a glass, complete with a straw and offered it to her. She drank greedily, which he took as a good sign.

"Better?" he asked when she was finished.

"Yes, much."

Just then a Healer ripped the curtains apart and marched in.

"What do you think you are doing in here, young man? You know that Ms. Evans is under observation, and must not be disturbed. And you haven't been released from your own bed."

"He's not bothering me," said Lily from the bed. "I want him here."

"Please, can't I stay with her? She's my girlfriend. My injuries aren't as bad as hers, and you can observe us both."

The Healer seemed to soften a bit. "Well..."

"Please?" James wheedled further. "I just need to stay."

She sighed. "Fine. You may stay as long as Ms. Evans wishes. You are not to disturb her if she falls asleep or touch her bandages in any way. And no, um, hanky-panky. "

"You're a saint," James said, willing himself not to laugh at the irony. There was nothing sexy about Lily in a hospital bed. Sex, for once, was the last thing from his mind.

The Healer marched out again, closing the curtains with a bit more force than strictly necessary. Lily scooted to one side of the bed and nodded to the space she made.

James smiled, and enlarged the bed just a few inches. He set his wand next to hers with a clatter, followed by his glasses. Toeing out of his shoes, he asked, "Big spoon or little spoon?"

"Little spoon," she responded primly. "But remember what the Healer said, no hanky-panky."

James chuckled for real this time. The two, careful of her hands, curled up into each other, and fell in to a shared sleep.

O0O0O

Lily had spent the next week in the hospital. James was freed from the Healers the following morning, so he went home and showered, and then wandered into Camden Town to pick up a few things that Lily had asked him for. Quite by accident, he found himself in a jewelry store. The manager seemed to give him a knowing smile and asked if he'd like to see anything.

"Erm, I'm just looking," said James. This wasn't strictly true. "Well, er, I guess, I'm looking for a ring."

"I see. What kind of ring would you be looking for?"

"Uh... a ring for my girlfriend."

"Indeed. May I ask if there is a budget I should respect?"

"Yes, I uh..." _don't have any muggle money,_ thought James. "Well, is five hundred pounds too little or too much?"

"I think, sir, that the price is for you to decide."

"Five hundred pounds, then," said James awkwardly. "And I don't have the money on me... can I pick out a ring and come back for it?"

"Of course. Now, what do you think she would like?"

James thought a moment... "Something simple, I think. We both have dangerous jobs, I don't want her to really worry about it."

"Something simple _and _resilient, then," responded the shopkeeper. "Might I suggest something in platinum then? It's not quite fashionable, but it looks like silver." He drew out a few selections.

James looked at the rings in turn, before deciding on one. "I rather like this one," he said, indicating one with a small diamond nestled in the band. It was small and intense, not too flash.

"Very good sir. Shall I have it engraved for you?"

"Oh, um... I haven't thought that far. I'll let you know when I come back to pick it up."

"Of course. Who is it on hold for?"

"James Potter. Thanks so much for your help!" he scampered out of there.

The jeweler allowed himself a chuckle. The lad had excellent taste in jewelry, but young grooms were all the same. They found themselves in a jewelry shop, and before they realized it, they were buying a ring.

O0O0O

They were removing her bandages for the final time today. She would be allowed to go home. She couldn't wait to sleep in her own bed. James wanted her to go to Potter Manor, but she would try and convince him otherwise. While she liked to spend the night before missions in his bed, she liked to spend nights after missions in hers, and she was long overdue for that. He had been so sweet to her while she was trapped at St Mungo's. He'd brought her embarrassing items from home (like teddy bears and knickers- not the sexy ones, the comfy ones!) and stayed overnight with her, spooning up to her back. He was the best and she loved him for it.

As she was signing her release forms, _why are there so many of these?_, she couldn't help but notice her healing hands. They were a bright pink, as they were still healing, but Lily was assured they'd be back to normal soon. She couldn't help but think they looked like lobster claws. And then James was there, ruffling his hair awkwardly. Her bag was packed, he was carrying it, and they were going _home._

"Camden Town or Potter Manor?" he asked in the lobby.

"Camden Town. And you can't make me feel guilty about it."

"Grab my arm then," and he apparated them to hers.

Lily wandered over and collapsed on the sofa. James followed her and the two laced their hands together. James thought about the ring in his pocket. Lily thought about tea.

"James-"

"Lily-" they began at the same time. The couple laughed.

"Ladies first," said James.

"Tea?" asked Lily hopefully. James laughed again and jumped up. He tapped her kettle; it whistled instantly and he measured out some tea, and two sugars for her, a splash of milk for him. Bringing it back over, he set the mugs on the coffee table to let them steep.

"You were saying?" asked Lily.

James smiled, but was suddenly nervous. "Lily... When I got released from St Mungo's... I did something, a bit rash."

Now Lily was nervous.

James reached into his pocket and pulled out a ring. "I bought this for you. For your hand. I mean... we haven't even talked about marriage, so it's stupid... but I love you. I want to be with you always. And how I felt in St Mungo's... I was so helpless, Lily. All I could do was get you clean knickers, and you were so hurt... But I do want to marry you, even if you want to wait until You-Know-Who is gone. I just... would you wear this for me? Please? As a token into battle with you, if nothing else..."

Lily sat there, stunned into silence. _He wanted to marry her. And she interrupted with _tea_? What was she thinking?"_

Throwing her arms around him, she managed a "Yes!"

He found her lips and began kissing her. They stopped for a moment, remembering the ring. It was engraved on the inside, simply '_a token_.' James slid it on her finger, then kissed the knuckle and drew her into an embrace again.

The tea was very cold indeed before they thought about it again.

O0O0O

The next day, they decided to go tell her parents they were engaged. Lily felt bad that they weren't planning on telling the Potters... perhaps they could visit their graves later? She'd have to gently brooch the subject to James; he ordinarily didn't like to visit his parents' graveyard. After buying some champagne and orange juice, Lily led James to Morningside Crescent Tube Station. She liked taking the Tube, even though she knew that apparating was faster. The Tube was so quaint and homey, so very London. James was utterly bemused by it; he followed her lead, not figuring out transfers and tickets himself. Lily was often tempted to leave him underground to see how he would manage, but knew that he would just disapperate.

They took the Northern line to Tottenenham Court Road, transferred to the Central Line and took it east to Woodford, the neighborhood Lily had grown up in.

"That took an hour and a half," complained James.

"Your point?"

"Well, it could have taken a second and a half if we had apparated."

Lily smiled. He was so impossible. "We have the time to spare."

They walked the blocks to her parents' house. Lily knocked, then opened the door. Her dad was in the lounge with the morning paper.

"Hello Lily," he greeted, "And James!"

"Good morning," they greeted him.

"What brings you to this neck of the woods?"

"Familial obligations," said Lily with a grin. "Is Mum in?"

"Yes, she's in the bedroom, hold on, I'll call her."

James suddenly felt nervous. He was marrying Lily. Surely they could get married without telling anyone? He didn't want her parents to know that he was sleeping with their daughter. Lily, as if sensing his sudden fear, led him to the sofa and they sat down. James wrapped right hand around her left, hiding the ring. It was no good; when Mrs. Evans walked in, Lily jumped up and hugged her.

After the preliminary greetings, Lily asked her parents, "Do you feel like mimosas?"

"What are we celebrating?"

Lily smiled and sat next to James. "James proposed and I accepted."

James blushed furiously, Lily was grinning. Her parents sat down. "Well... it's not as if we're not happy for you, we're just wondering if maybe..."

"You're a bit young," said Mr. Evans. "Only eighteen."

"No younger than grandma and grandad Evans when they got married," said Lily. She tapped the champagne bottle and the cork flew off. She conjured champagne flutes, poured in the juice, followed by the champagne. After doing this four times, she passed the glasses around.

"Lily, you're not... pregnant, are you?"

James and Lily both choked on the mimosa they had been sipping.

"Of course not,"

"_Absolutely_ not,"

"We're very careful," James said stupidly. Mr. Evans glared at him.

"Well talk us into it, why is this a good idea?" Mrs. Evans asked, ignoring James' faux pas.

"We're in love," said Lily setting her glass down. "And we might be young, but I can't imagine a day without James. He makes me laugh and he grounds me. I don't know where I would be without him, but it wouldn't be here. I desperately want to be here, telling you our plans. We're not asking permission, we're trying to share our joy with you."

Finally it seemed they relented. They smiled and sipped their mimosas. James quickly took a gulp of his own, choking down the alcohol.

"May I see the ring?" asked Mrs. Evans.

Lily offered her hand to her mother's scrutinizing eyes.

"Oh, it's lovely. Did you help James pick it out?"

"I picked it out myself," said James defensively.

Mrs. Evans smiled at him, "I meant to disrespect. It's beautiful." She turned her eyes back to Lily's hand. "Lily, why is your hand so pink? Did you burn yourself?"

"Just a little accident..." She tried to downplay it. James knew that Lily hadn't told her parents about the war against You-Know-Who, or their role in it.

"Well, please be more careful."

"When are you two planning on getting married?" Mr. Evans asked.

"Oh, we hadn't really discussed it..."

The rest of the visit veered off in this direction; Lily was taken upstairs to try on her mothers' dress, James was not permitted to accompany them. Instead, he was given a talking to by Mr. Evans. James assumed they were the usual threats of emasculating him should he ever hurt her in anyway.

Both were rather relieved to leave. Lily apparated them, James was relieved until he saw where she had brought them. It was the graveyard where his parents were buried.

"I thought you might like to tell them, too." Lily said quietly.

The couple made their way in silence over to their headstones.

O0O0O

They decided on a small affair in May. Mrs. Evans wanted a grand wedding for her oldest daughter. Lily told her they couldn't afford it. Mrs. Evans was slightly disappointed by that, but was left to hope for better things when Petunia got married. Lily ended up wearing her mother's dress, and the flowers came from the blooming gardens at Potter Manor. They were wed at the church that the Potters were buried in, with a small breakfast after the morning ceremony in the manor. The guest list was so small; Lily's parents and grudging sister, the Order of the Phoenix, a few friends from school... all mingled together in church and at the bridal breakfast.

James and Lily had a small honeymoon, taking a portkey to Florence, Italy. Some family friend of James had a bed and breakfast in the foothills of Tuscany. Hand in hand, the two explored the art and the food in Florence. The bridges crossing the Arno River alone were worth trip. They got lost in the winding medieval streets, bowls of pasta, bottles of wine, each other...

On their last day, Lily bought a padlock with two keys.

"What's that for?" James asked, while wiping his glasses on his red shirt.

"You know all the padlocks around all the monuments here? On the fences? And we were wondering why they were there? With the initials on them?"

"Yes?" James replied slowly, pushing his glasses back on his face. He gazed at her dress, it was white, with some sort of green floral pattern. She wasn't wearing much make up, and flat comfortable shoes. The only jewelry she wore was the ring he gave her; her hands looked normal again; she was lucky she didn't scar.

"Well, I've been asking around," she tapped her wand and their initials appeared on the side; JP and underneath that LP. "Lovers put them there."

James smiled. "Where should we put ours then?"

They settled on their favorite bridge, the _Ponte Vecchio_. They placed the lock, and divided the keys, so that each of them had one. James couldn't help but kiss her in the dying sun, causing the bustling Italians around them to cheer in the language that made the city famous.

O0O0O

The summer passed in nights of post-honeymoon passion and days touched with the heat of battle. They feared for their lives, and of the lives of their friends constantly, and this was dealt with by treating every day (and every night) as their last.

It had become a silly little tradition, one that Lily and James had joked about before they got married. "Oh! Dinner with the in-laws!" But after a while it simply became routine. Every Sunday evening (Order duties permitting), Lily and James would go over to the Evans's for Harry's famous roast chicken. Sometimes Petunia came, but she was careful not to bring her (apparently boring) boyfriend when James was there. Lily did her best to make a pudding, but in the rush of things, more often than not she ended up bringing a bowl of congealed goo, and Marianne Evans saved the day with a store-bought dessert.

Lily had learned long ago that apparating directly into the house was never a good idea, especially not with James in tow. (An incident involving a string of pearls, a tea towel, and a vacuum had nearly scarred James for life.) So they apparated onto the street as usual, preparing to call out a hello before they swung open the Evans' charming little wooden fence.

In place of a sunny blue sky, Lily saw smoke. Twisted figures of smoke seemed to ring a green scar carved into the dusk. She blinked once, to clear the nightmare from her vision, and then again. Nothing changed.

James emerged from the disorientation of apparation to find himself face to face with a hideous green skull, floating over what used to be the house of his in-laws, but now resembled one of his battlefields. Even before Lily's scream, he heard the sound of the glass pudding bowl hitting the concrete, and looked down just in time to see globs of rice pudding splatter across the bottom of his robes.

Time slowed down as he looked back up, and the world became orchestrated by the beating of his heart. _Thump thump. _ Lily screamed, screamed, screamed. _Thump thump._ A flurry of red flew by his head, and his brain slowly registered that she was running full tilt towards the door, which now teetered pitifully on it's hinges. _Thump thump. _He watched, unmoving, as the love of his life disappeared into a house that had recently been attacked by Death Eaters.

"Lily! No!" But his words came out too late. She was already gone. Mumbling a curse under his breath, he yanked his wand from his back pocket and followed her into the house.

It was a disaster. What was once a charming little muggle house had been transformed into a scene of carnage. Harry and Marianne didn't stand a chance. They knew about wizards, of course, since they sent their daughter to a wizarding school every year, but they had always seemed content to let Lily do her own thing where her "gifts" were concerned, and instead continued on with their normal muggle lives just like everyone else on their little muggle block. They never really took the time to think about the evil their daughter was fighting every day, or that it could possibly affect them.

The horror they must have felt when the Death Eaters easily bypassed their locked doors...

James only had to walk a few feet into their living room to find his wife. She was a collapsed rag doll, screaming and shaking over the lifeless corpses of her parents. They died together, at least they had that small miracle. It wasn't just a quick "_Avada Kadavra_" on these two; the Death Eaters made it personal. Blood had dried in a red line down Harry's nose, across his lip. Marianne's eyes - open even in death - were bloodshot. No doubt she had screamed so loud and so long under torture that she burst a capillary. The walls had been licked with flame, intended to frighten the poor, innocent muggles.

Most of their beautiful furniture had been smashed to bits. The lights were all out, but it didn't matter since the windows were also blown out and the last light of the evening still filtered through.

Quietly, he stepped into another room - what used to be the kitchen, and was now a sloppy mess of broken jars and overturned chairs - and cast a Patronus to send to Dumbledore with a very brief message.

_Lily's parents have been killed by Death Eaters. Send cleanup._

Lily. She became his only objective. As he inched his way back into the living room, he slumped against a wall and just stared at her for a long moment. Her screams had stopped. Now there was only sobs. Silent sobs that shook her small frame, almost to pieces. His feet crunched on the broken glass and shards of furniture as he approached her.

"Lily, we have to go. It's not safe."

She didn't move. She didn't flinch when he gently gripped her shoulder either, but remained limp.

"No," she moaned out, her voice a small child's. "I want to stay." Her fingers had a vise grip on her father's arm. "I want to stay."

"I know, darling, but we have to leave. They could come back."

Her pretty little lips were quivering and her face was slick with tears and snot. Clearly, rationalizing wasn't working. Instead, he took a more direct approach. Without giving her time to fight back, he scooped her up in his arms, and made a bee-line for the door. They were half way out before she realized the corpses of her parents were moving further away, and she no longer held her dad's hand.

"No!" She screamed this time, nearly bursting his ear drum, and began twisting in his arms. He was forced to set her down, but kept a firm grip on her waist so she didn't dart back in. He wasn't too surprised to find their front lawn crawling with Ministry agents, as well as Albus Dumbledore himself who no doubt apparated the moment he received the Patronus.

The old man took one look at the regressing young woman, and rushed over, purple cloaks billowing. Instead of offering words of comfort, as any other might have done, he reached out a craggy hand and lay it across her forehead. Immediately, she went limp in James's arms. A bolt of panic shot through him, but he realized she was only sleeping.

"She'll wake up in a few hours," Dumbledore told him. "Give her this." From the depths of his robes he procured a small blue bottle with liquid inside. "It will calm her."

James knew better than to ask what it was. Nodding his thanks, and without another word to Dumbledore, he wrapped his arms around his wife and apparated away, leaving the rest of the wizards to clean up the mess.

O0O0O

Quite understandably, Lily was a mess. The joint burial ended in a screaming match between the two sisters; James looked on bewildered, while (what was his name, Vernon? Vincent?) looked on in confusion, anger and disgust at his girlfriend's sister's bad manners. In truth, Petunia had accused Lily of killing their parents by dragging them into a war that none of them understood. Lily had reacted badly, cracking under years of Petunia's disapproval. During a lull in the fighting, James apparated Lily away from the drama. She proceeded to get drunk out of her mind. The hangover the next day kept her in their darkened bedroom, and the days and weeks after that were a misery for anyone that came to Potter Manor. Fearing her wits weren't about her, Lily was taken off all her cases by Dumbledore, giving the rather high profile muggle duties to Dorcas Meadows.

All in all, it took her a lot longer for her to get over her grief than James took. But it was to be expected, given the brutality of the murders and the cruelty of her sister. Christmas and New Years came and went. February passed by, and still Lily didn't cheer. She hadn't spoken to her sister since her parents died, and neither had any intention of doing so. Lily heard through the grapevine of family friends that Petunia was marrying Vernon Dursley. It was to be a grand spectacle of lace and orange blossoms in June. Lily did not receive an invitation.

It was spring before she finally came back to herself. James decided for their first anniversary to take her back to Florence. They had a peaceful holiday. Every evening, they visited their lock, which was (magically) still on the bridge where they left it.

One night, sharing a bottle of wine and watching the sun set over the Arno, Lily asked, "How can we keep fighting? I've just... I've seen so much. I don't think I can do it anymore. I know I haven't been much use since... How can you keep fighting?"

James took a sip from the bottle and cuddled her closer. "I don't know. Yeah, I don't like what I see, it's a bloody war. But... I know that I'm on the right side of things. I look at you, and think of your so-called "blood status," and it just keeps me going. I'm trying to protect you, us. Our future. I don't have an answer, and it will be a long time before I loose the guilt of the blood on my hands, but... I just know my actions won't be in vain."

"I just feel like a pawn."

"Nah, you're the King."

"Does that make you the Queen?" she giggled.

James savored the sound. She had not been doing much giggling in the past few months. "If your majesty desires it," he kissed her hand gallantly.

She sighed and leaned her head on his shoulder. He wrapped an arm around her and they finished their bottle.

They returned home to merry old England refreshed from their mini-break, and Lily resumed her missions over the summer with a new focus.

O0O0O


	6. Chapter 6

Authors' Note: We do not own Harry Potter or any of the characters, plot, or anything else you recognize, we are not making any money from this story. In truth, the story owns us. F. L. Butler, thanks a million for the beta.

And no one loves a review more than we do. Clio gets more reviews in the Robin Hood BBC fanfiction, which is much smaller and has much few "hits." Will you tolerate that? You decide. Let us know. In review form.

CHAPTER SIX

Alice had joked they were on a secret women-kick-ass mission - destroying the Death Eaters with an overabundance of estrogen. It wasn't often Lily and Alice did missions alone without the boys, and this made their current task all the more exciting.

They'd apparated a few blocks away from the alleged Death Eater hide out. The plan was quite simple. Go in, do some reconnaissance, get out. No fighting, no dying, just spying. Lily made a very good spy, if she did say so herself. Alice wasn't too bad either. Together, they would be unstoppable. That's the attitude Lily went into this mission with, anyway.

James had been in a tizzy all afternoon at the thought of Lily and Alice going off on their own. Frank wasn't too pleased either, but wasn't nearly as prone to hovering as James was. He insisted it wasn't because they were poor defenseless females who needed to be saved by the big strong men, but Lily understood. Deep down at the heart of it, she knew he was worried because he loved her, just as she would pace and fret whenever he went off on a mission without her.

As Lily and Alice moved closer to their goal, they played more into their parts. Just two casual witches on an afternoon stroll down the street. Down the abandoned, dirty, dark street. Still, creeping would only make them more obvious, so they walked quietly.

When they came within twenty feet of the door to their target location, Alice motioned for Lily to slow, and they both casually pulled out their wands. It wasn't a threatening or worried gesture. They may have slowed, but they still gave off an air of calm. Lily fingered her wand, twirled it absently like she usually did when she was nervous. Alice pointed her wand at the door and whispered "_Alohomora_", without even bothering to check if the door was already locked or not. It clicked open and swung forward slightly, and Alice eased it the rest of the way, making sure it didn't squeak. Then without a glance backwards, they both slipped into the dark hallway on the other side.

Darkness was their companion down the hallway. Lily was going to _Lumos_, but Alice warned her against it. They didn't know what was waiting for them at the end of the tunnel of black, and this way they had the element of surprise. They need only follow the light that slipped from beneath a crack in the door.

She grasped onto Alice's hand; not because she was scared (although truth be told, she was a bit - it was hard not to be when plunging headfirst into dangerous situations), but because it was a comfort. It made her feel more powerful and confident. The two moved closer to the door, closer to the light. Hushed voices penetrated their darkness, but they couldn't pinpoint the exact words or make out anything coherent.

Just a few more feet and they would be there. No fighting, just listening - that was the deal. It didn't seem that dangerous, so long as nobody sneezed.

Lily was right on top of the door, and leaned in to press her ear to the wood, when it unexpectedly swung open, and a sneering woman stood on the other side.

"Oh shi..." Alice started, raising her wand, but before she could mutter out a spell - or even finish the sentence she'd started - the woman grabbed her by the front of her shirt, and yanked her inside. Lily was seized before she had time to react, by a short gangly man who'd appeared right after the woman, and was also dragged in.

"What have we here?" the man snickered as he threw Lily down to the floor. Her robes pooled up around her as she smashed against the concrete. Immediately, she reached for Alice, who had been carelessly discarded next to her.

"Didn't your mummy ever tell you it's rude to eavesdrop?" the woman spat out.

They were well and truly screwed. Lily knew it the moment the door opened. Now, as she stared up at the glinting grins of the Death Eaters that surrounded them, she knew this was probably the end.

Another man blundered in - Lily recognized him as Cornelius Burgess, part time shop keeper at Borgin & Burkes and he caught sight of the two women on the ground, he stopped short.

"What's the protocol for this?" he huffed, flapping his little arms about. "Should we contact the Dark Lord?"

The woman shook her head.

"Nah, let's just kill ''d be doing the Dark Lord a favor. Cutting down the work on his part, right?"

Clearly, Burgess wasn't quite pleased by her casually tossed out dark remark.

"Kill them? Just like that?" his lips blabbed. "Isn't that a bit rash?"

Lily wanted very much to nod her head, but felt it wouldn't help her case. Instead, she turned pleading eyes on Burgess. It would take two words and the flick of a wand, and they would both be dead. Judging by the looks on the man and woman's faces, they had no problems with execution.

"What would you rather do, Cornie? Take them for tea?" the woman cackled. Then she turned, with a malicious grin reaching up to her bright blue eyes, and waved her wand.

"_Avada K..."_

The door to the small, cement room burst open and hit the opposite wall with a deafening bang. Before anyone had time to react, a brilliant burst of red light speared through the air and hit the woman square in the chest. Lily became vaguely aware of the action that was currently erupting around her.

James, Frank, and Sirius bursting in, wands waving. The hideous shrieks of Death Eaters as they threw curses at the man she loved. But the worst thing was when the man - the short, fat, angry man - grabbed Alice by her choppy hair and hauled her to her feet. In the space of a blink, he tossed her with surprising strength against the wall. Her cry of pain and surprise was the only noise she made before she fell unconscious even before she hit the floor.

Lily felt herself scream, felt the hot air rush out of her lungs, and her throat vibrate. The noise of the fighting in such a small space eclipsed her scream, and all she heard was the grunting and groaning and screaming around her.

Her wand had been kicked away in the tussle, and she couldn't seem to find it. Why couldn't she focus? Why had her wits abandoned her? Magic or no magic, she still had her instincts. When she saw Cornelius Burgess raise his wand and shout the killing curse at her husband, she did the only thing she could think of - she launched herself at him, and knocked him into the table. The spell went wild, scorching the wall, and James was thankfully unharmed. Burgess, on the other hand, had landed on a bowl which shattered under the weight of his body, and shards of it now poked into his pudgy flesh. Blood quickly spilled out onto the table, and onto Lily's hands as she struggled to get off him. He was very much unconscious and no longer a threat. In the back of her mind, she prayed he wouldn't bleed to death.

It was all over in a matter of minutes.

When Lily finally was able to look at the world with clear eyes once more, she saw blood. Much more blood than she was expecting. It smeared the table where Burgess had been cut by the pottery. It dripped on the floor from the wound in Alice's head. Lily looked over at James, who had his wand pointed at the head of the snarling woman, and saw a thick line of blood trickling from a small cut on his forehead.

It took everything in her not to run over and throw her arms around him. For a few moments, as she'd seen flashes of green light fly towards his head, she was sure she would die. If he died, she knew she couldn't go on, and she was sure as she watched that her heart would simply stop. But he was alive. They were alive.

As members of the Ministry showed up to take in Burgess and the others, James looked at Lily from across the room.

If he'd been only a few seconds later, she would be dead. Hell, he could have tripped coming in, or taken a longer time peeing, and the woman he loved most in the world would be dead. He couldn't quite process that.

Shouts of the angry Death Eaters followed them down the hall as Frank, Alice, James, Lily and Sirius all slowly made their way out of the building into the haze of the afternoon. None of them could find words to speak - nothing could capture the intensity and fear that had slammed into them in a matter of minutes.

Lily found James's hand, and gripped it hard. Together, they disapparated to find whatever comfort Potter Manor would give them.

O0O0O

Lily was never much for breaking down from fear. She was, all in all, a very steady woman; held her own against Death Eaters in a fight, had put in long hours at work, and even managed to keep her head up when explosions tore apart her friends. But this... this was different. Somehow, their latest skirmish with the Death Eaters had left her shaken.

It was the way she'd watched one of the faceless masks grab Alice Longbottom and throw her so hard against a wall she began to bleed before her unconscious body hit the ground. And the way James had narrowly missed the Killing Curse - he'd only escaped because he'd stumbled over a dead body, and the curse split the wall instead.

This time, she pushed her way through the door frame of her house and her small fingers left imprints of blood on the wood. Her home shouldn't hold residue of evil, she thought as she leaned against the wall and closed her eyes. Behind her, James had come in and shut the door, but hadn't proceeded further. He too felt the pain of what they'd faced today.

She was tired. Tired of constantly looking over her shoulder. Tired of the nagging worry she felt for her husband and her friends every second of every day. She was bloody fed up with not knowing whether or not walking out the door in the morning would be the last thing she'd ever do.

Lily looked over at James - covered in dirt and blood, with bags under his eyes from all the nights he too had lay awake worrying. She couldn't help but smile. That damned hair of his, always sticking out all over the place, was still being as rebellious as always, despite the grime it had collected over the past few hours. No matter how many things shifted in the world, or how many stabilities got yanked out from underneath her, she would always have him.

Her James.

Merlin, she loved him. So damn much it almost hurt. She needed no other rock than him to get her through life, and because he was slumped against their doorway, looking at her with concern in his beautiful hazel eyes, she knew they would make it through this mess.

"I love you, James." she whispered through the silence that filled their small house. They were words she'd said hundreds of times in the past. Through the years, she hadn't skimped on using the L word, because every time she said it, she loved him even more. Now, though, it was a plea, a promise, a bit of hope for him to cling to that would see him through the evil to come.

He smiled that goofy smile of his, the one that always warmed her insides.

"I love you, too," he murmured, but didn't move from the door. So she moved instead. With slow, deliberate movements, she pushed herself off the wall and crossed the small space between them. She reached up a small hand and brushed the hair out of his eyes.

She had long ago memorized every line and curve of his face, but they still looked beautiful in the fading sunlight that streamed through their small windows. Automatically, his hands wrapped around her waist. Neither of them cared that their clothes were torn, that they were covered in filth and most likely stank to high heaven.

"I love you," she whispered again, standing up on her toes a bit to reach his mouth, then bit down on his lower lip. Her own lips curved into a grin as his fingers dug into her skin. Mission accomplished.

"I love you." The words became a chant as her lips moved lower, grazing down his neck as she wrapped her arms around his shoulders. She needed to hold him, to remind herself that he was still alive, still here with her, and that nothing - not even death (or in this case Death Eaters) would tear them apart.

"I love you too." This time his words came out with a smirk, and he could only sigh happily as Lily practically wrapped herself around him as she moved from his neck to his shoulder, then back to his lips. "But shouldn't we move this away from the door? You know, in case the Death Eaters come back?"

Lily ran her fingers through his wiry tufts of hair, and grinned against his mouth.

"We could always give them a good show," she teased. And that did it. He scooped her up so fast she didn't realize she was off the ground until he'd taken three steps, and she giggled in delight.

They never made it to the bedroom. Hell, they didn't even make it upstairs. James got as far as the dining room table and decided he was too frazzled and she was too beautiful to wait. Seven minutes later (though a blissful seven minutes), Lily found herself completely naked, staring up at a small scrap of lace that was once her bra which now dangled from the chandelier.

"Whoa," James lay next to her, nearly as naked, though she hadn't quite manged to strip him of his socks.

"Yeah," she murmured up at the ceiling. She was still trembling from the intensity of it, and she definitely didn't think she had any body mass below her waist anymore.

"I mean really," James followed her gaze. "Whoa."

"Yep," she breathed. Her hand reached out and grasped his, and he interlocked their fingers. The gesture was small, but it brought a small smile to his face. James brought his hand to her lips and kissed it, then held it against his chest.

"We should try this sex in random places thing more often," he intoned, and she giggled. What was the point of having a gigantic house if one couldn't have spontaneous sex on the dining room table, he supposed? The cat was thankfully polite enough to steer clear of their fun and games.

Despite the fact that she was a bit chilly without her clothes on, and the mahogany table wasn't the most comfortable place in the world to be lying on, Lily rolled onto her side, and curled against him. He wrapped an arm around her and absently began to toy with her red locks.

Though neither of them wanted to say it, the location and spontaneity of their sex wasn't the only reason the sex had been so incredible. It was the timing. The intensity. The fact that both of them had only an hour before been a hair's breadth from being blasted into oblivion. And Lily loved James, even more than she could ever possibly have realized. More than when they said their "I Do's", more than when they'd made love in that rickety bed in the Bed and Breakfast in Florence. As long as she had him - him and his very delicious body (she was trying hard _not_ to straddle him there on the table and start the whole damn adventure over again) - she could face anything.

"I love you," she murmured one last time, and pressed a kiss against his naked chest.

James wanted to lay there and hold her forever, but the slight evening chill was creeping in through the windows, and they hadn't exactly picked the best place to curl up for a nap. He disentangled himself from her arms and slid off the table, his socks slipping only slightly on the floor. He had a bit of difficulty standing, though whether or not his muscles were sore from the sex or the earlier battle he wasn't sure.;

Gently, he gathered a naked Lily up in his arms, grinning down when she wrapped her arms around him and attempted to burrow into his chest with a small _meep _noise. Had the Death Eaters chosen than moment to burst in on them, they would find a very strange sight indeed. A man, clad only in socks, shuffling up the stairs with a naked and sleepy woman in his arms. A black lace bra swinging from the chandelier. A pair of boxer shorts caught on the helmet of a coat of arms. T-shirts in tatters. Blood stains on the door frame.

And love. Most of all, they would find love.

O0O0O

The alley held the clinging chill of rain and wind, and trembling Peter Pettigrew stumbled his way down it like a lost man. He had every idea of where he was headed, even though his visibility was severely reduced by the gaze; he just really didn't want to get there.

For months, he'd watched his friends fight a losing battle. They kept up a cheerful facade of course, tacked on grim smiles even when hope remained a sliver in the darkness. But it didn't take a genius to figure out that all the positive attitudes in the world wouldn't help them win this war. Peter had learned many things over the course of his lifetime - most of them ways to hide from the enemy - but the one thing that kept him alive most of all was his ability to remain on the winning side. Friends were all well and good, but what good were they if you were dead?

Still, he had almost turned back four times since he'd entered the tiny town where the Death Eaters had directed him to go. Lily and James had always been good to him. Sirius and Remus too, of course, but since they'd gotten married, Lily and James became especially loving. Perhaps it was the new family vibe. Already there were talks of babies - _should we have them? There's a war on. We only live once._ And though no one would realize, Peter figured a little Potter was probably closer than anyone realized - if the amount of random disappearances from Order meetings was any indication.

But no, he had to put them out of his mind. He had no choice anymore. The Death Eaters had made it more than clear that if he didn't side with the Dark Lord, he would end up like so many casualties of the war - just another dead body among many that no one would remember.

Well, he had to be remembered. He'd spent his whole life living in the shadows of greater men. How could anyone compete with the likes of James Potter or Sirius Black? Usually, he enjoyed living under their guidance - it got him far in life. But now it was about to get him killed.

When he finally reached the wooden door marked 72, he was amazed at how plain it looked. Just another battered door haphazardly hinged to a boring brown house, identical to all the others on the block. Surely the Dark Lord would live in splendor, not a broken heap like this! Perhaps he had the wrong house. He fumbled in his pocket for the small scrap of parchment on which an address was written. _72 Chertsey Rise, Knebworth._

It had been delivered to him that morning by a particularly vicious owl who thought it necessary to take a chunk out of his arm before it left. Even though there was no name attached to the note, there could be no mistaking who it was from. He compared the numbers on the note to the numbers on the door. Same address. This was it. The point of no return.

Ever-so-fleetingly, the faces of his old friends - James, Lily, Sirius, Remus, and even the Order members - danced across his vision. He couldn't do it, he thought. The screaming in his brain was too much. There was no way he could...

And then the door swung open, and a very annoyed Lucius Malfoy stood on the other side.

"Well don't just stand there. You're getting rain into the house." he sneered, then swished back out of the foyer into the hall.

The house was certainly bigger on the inside, though it still resembled nothing of the grandeur Peter had expected from the Dark Lord. A sitting room stuffed to an uncomfortable level with leather chairs and couches - all in need of a good dusting - greeted him as he trailed behind Malfoy.

"The Dark Lord requested..." he began, unable to keep himself from stuttering. He was cut off, however, by a derisive laugh that drifted from the direction of Augustus Rookwood, who was sinking deeply into one of the chairs.

"Did you honestly believe the Dark Lord himself would be here to greet you?" he taunted. "That perhaps he'd have some tea waiting? You two would have a nice chat? Ha! The Dark Lord is a great man. He doesn't have time for the likes of you."

Peter should have left. Right then, while his inferiority was being thrown in his face, he should have turned around and walked right out of that stuffy drawing room. At least the Order members treated him with respect...

Lucius Malfoy, upon seeing the emotional upheaval blossom on Peter's face, put a long, thin hand on the man's shoulder, and gestured towards a chair.

"The Dark Lord is very eager to hear what you have to tell us, Peter," he said with a more gracious tone. Stooping to the likes of Peter Pettigrew was nearly as bad as bowing to a Muggle, but it would get him the information the Dark Lord required, and that was all that mattered. "And he rewards his followers very well. He will be pleased with you."

This calmed Peter somewhat, and he allowed himself to sink into the large black chair and relax slightly. Lucius Malfoy was practically at the right hand of the Dark Lord, or so it was rumored. If he was pleased with what Peter had to offer, then surely the Dark Lord would be as well.

"I know who guards the Muggle minister,"

Rookwood nearly giggled

"Yes, we all know who guards the Muggle minister! Some of us pass 10 Downing Street very day! Fabian and Gideon Prewitt"

Peter looked up at him with as much of a glare as his fearful being could muster.

"I know how their schedule, when they will be at their weakest. I know how to kill them."

Lucius waved his wand, and a piping hug mug of tea danced before them. Peter was frozen to the bone and still soaking wet - dripping, in fact, on the nice upholstery, though thankfully no one commented. He was more than grateful to Malfoy as he reached his stubby fingers out and wrapped them around the mug. The hot tea slid down his throat like gold.

"That is knowledge that the Dark Lord highly covets. A weakness in Muggle defenses is only a good thing."

Absently, Peter nodded, though he was focused on his cup of tea which was rapidly disappearing. With a lazy flick of his wand, Lucius filled the mug, and procured some tarts, which were also wolfed down almost immediately.

"But if you betray us, Pettigrew, the Dark Lord will make you wish you'd never bothered to come out of that pathetic mother of yours."

Lucius's words dropped like a stone into the now-heavy silence. There was no going back now, Peter realized. No matter that the Order members were always kind to him, or that most Death Eaters would much rather spit in his drink rather than share one with him.

At this, Peter stopped. His hand, clutching the last of the tart, paused midway towards his mouth. As Lucius gazed down on him, he could almost see the gears in Peter's little brain whirring away; he could see whatever shred of conscious this cockroach had begin to flare up. So he did what any man would - he played at his weakness. With one more wave of his wand, a whole table of treats appeared - meats, cheeses, crumpets, cakes. A whole pot of tea presented in the very best china money could buy.

"Remember, Peter," he lay a comforting hand on Peter's shoulder once more, "the Dark Lord rewards his followers handsomely."

All feelings of guilt seemed to vanish at the sight of the food. Peter hadn't seen this much food in one place since his Hogwarts days. It was like heaven on a little wooden table.

Lucius rarely smiled, but as he retreated from the pathetic man's form, towards the study of the house, he found himself grinning. Those thin lips nearly cracked from the width of it. This news would please the Dark Lord very much, very much indeed.

O0O0O

Lily hadn't been feeling well. It was nothing serious, just a little bug. That hadn't gone away. In a week and a half. Well, two weeks. Every morning. It might be serious, but she wasn't willing to admit that to herself or anyone else yet. So feeling stupid, she popped over to a chemist's that she passed while doing her shopping and bought a pregnancy test.

She followed the directions in the box in a detached sort of way, just going through the motions, peeing on the stick, and then she just left it in the bathroom, shutting the light off, and willing the whole thing to just go away.

She had stuff to do.

It was James that discovered the test, nearly an hour later.

"Um, Lily?" he wandered in to the lounge.

"Hmm?" she looked up from the book she was reading.

"I don't want to alarm you, but there's a stick in a cup of piss on the sink in the bathroom."

"I know."

"Oh." James didn't really know how to continue. Lily went back to her book. "Is it yours then?" She rolled her eyes. James took that to mean yes. "What's it for?"

"It's a muggle pregnancy test," Lily said, turning the page.

"Oh. WAIT! Come again?"

"There is a possibility I might be pregnant."

James sat down heavily. Shaking slightly, he took off his glasses, wiped them, and pushed them back on his face. This was followed by nervous hair ruffling.

"When will the test be over?"

Lily glanced at the clock on the mantle. It was a wedding gift from the Prewett brothers, before they were mercilessly killed by You-Know-Who a few weeks back. "About 56 minutes ago."

"Were you planing on, er, checking?"

"Well, what did it say?"

"It didn't say anything."

With an annoyed huff, she shut her book and stalked to the loo. There was a little blue line there on the stick, for all the world to see.

"Damn," she sat down heavily on the toilet.

James knelt at her feet and grasped her hands. "So... are you pregnant?"

"Yes." Her mind was whirling, faster and faster. The pressure of the sudden parasitic life growing inside her made her want to scream. She scrunched her eyes closed. "How are we going to have a kid in the middle of a fucking war?"

James stood up, pulled her up off the toilet and gently led her into the lounge. They settled on the couch and wrapped up in each other. When they were both comfortable and cuddled under a soft blanket, he began, "I guess we'll raise it like other people are raising theirs'," said James sensibly. "Didn't the Prewetts have about a million nephews? And Sirius' cousin Andromeda just had a kid of her own. Blimey, that was years ago. But kids happen."

Of course, he was just as panicky as Lily. As soon as Dumbledore found out, she would be taken off all Order duties, and James would probably be given less assignments. Lily was right- there was a war on. It was incredibly selfish to get pregnant, accidental or not. Dumbledore needed them.

"Well," said Lily slowly... "I mean... there are ways around pregnancy."

James looked bewildered. "What?"

Lily looked upset at even bringing it up. "Well... there are... muggle ways... to remove the fetus."

"What happens to the fetus?"

"It... dies."

James looked pensive.

Lily sighed. "Look, it's not my first choice, but it's also not my first choice to raise a child in the middle of a war."

"Well I think this is a decision that we can't make lightly. I think we can afford to give ourselves a day or two to discuss it."

"Agreed."

"Can I ask you something?" ventured James gently.

"Sure."

"Would you want kids? I mean, someday? If we get out of this mess?"

Lily played with the fringe on a pillow, taking a moment to think. A small tear leaked through her eye. "Yes. I mean... I'd be curious to see what our kids looked like, who they took after, what they were like. And I'm definitely curious about this one. But I'm scared for it, too. What about you?"

"Yeah, I guess I'd always wanted kids. And only with you," he nudged her playfully. She offered him a small smile at his teasing. "But even though I'm scared, my dad always said that being a parent is always scary."

"When did he say that?" she tipped her head to look in his eyes.

"Oh, when I was about eight, I fell off my broomstick, and after mum fixed me up, he told me that he was more scared than I was. When I questioned him, he said that he was always scared for me."

Silence fell between them. Eventually the two got up, made dinner, and did the washing up. They went through their nightly routines, Lily discreetly disposing of the pregnancy test. They fell into bed, but not to sleep, each kept awake by their own thoughts. Lily was ill again in the morning, and the next and the next, until five days after discovering she was pregnant... Nothing had really changed, she couldn't feel the baby moving yet, she still fit into all her trousers, her breasts hadn't gotten bigger... but it was... difficult to explain. The more the fetus grew, the more attached she got to it. James too was finding the idea of a baby impossible to resist. After a few more serious talks, they decided not to abort.

"It's a risk," James said one night, "but we're Gryffindors."

Lily grinned and her hand drifted to the non-existent belly she felt so protective of.

O0O0O

_ Prongs- have just found out Regulus is dead. Bring Firewhiskey. ~Padfoot_

James received Sirius's owl. Lily was horrified and quickly made up some dish that James was to take over with the firewhiskey.

"I'd go with you, but..."

"Don't worry," said James. He pulled on his invisibility cloak, leaving only his head floating there. "I'll be careful." He delicately placed his palm on her still flat stomach and kissed his wife goodbye. "I love you."

"Love you too," she said with a smile. "Give Sirius my best."

James shook the bottle gently at her, the slipped outside, drawing the hood up over his head. Once away from the Manor, he disapperated... and reappeared about a block away from Sirius' flat. He made his way, careful not to bump into anyone, and knocked on Sirius' door.

With nary a "who is it?" Sirius burst open the door and looked confused to see no one there.

"It's me, Paddy. Let me in!"

"Don't call me that," slurred Sirius, stepping aside. He shut the door and James took off the cloak.

"Lily sent lasagna and I brought the Firewhiskey.

"_Excellent_," said Sirius, reaching for the bottle.

"How much have you had, Padfoot?"

"Not enough," Sirius managed to wrench the bottle out of James' hand.

The two settled in and began drinking, but soon, Sirius became nostalgic for the years before Hogwarts, the childhood uncomplicated, before he began questioning the beliefs his parents tried to instill in him, when his home was kinder to him, when his brother was still a playmate... James let him prattle.

"You know, I used to believe that blood purity shit that they preach," Sirius poured himself another glass. "And now, you're my best friend and you're married to a mudblood!" he exclaimed.

"Don't call her that, Sirius."

"Merlin's pants, I'm shorry."

James wasn't sure if he meant he was sorry over the firewhiskey he'd just spilled or for calling Lily the M word.

"And then, he joins up with You-Know-How, a right little Death Eater in training, am I right? And he gets himself fucking killed. But you know what Prongs? Ha! The Noble and Most Ancient House of Fucking Black is all but gone!" Sirius laughed.

"Well, who knows, maybe you'll have kids?"

"If I survive this damned war. Who'd want to bring kids into this shit?"

"So if I told you Lily's pregnant?" The alcohol had made him bold and stupid. This was not how James planned on telling Sirius.

Sirius blinked for a minute, and then, after deciding James was being serious, he tried to backtrack. Of course, he was drunk, so it didn't really work.

"That's great, Prongs. Just brilliant. I'm sho happy for you. When's the shprog due?"

"End of July."

Sirius passed out then. James doubt if he'd even heard him. Sighing, he levitated his friend into his bed, stole a blanket, and settled uncomfortably on the couch. Sirius wasn't wrong. Bringing a kid into a war was the cruelest thing he could think of, especially when both its parents were fighting so hard. It's why he and Lily hadn't taken the burden lightly. But when he thought of Lily and the "sprog" as Sirius had called it, he couldn't help his joy.

O0O0O

At the next Order meeting, the Potters announced they were pregnant. Alice gasped and confessed that she too was going to have a baby. The tidings were received well, considering they'd be two fighters short, but everyone agreed that two babies were good news indeed. They also decided to move the headquarters to Mad-Eye's place in Weymouth. Lily felt a bit better. At least she could talk to Alice about her fears; the Longbottoms were in the same position as the Potters.

The months passed slowly and tensely for the pregnant women. James and Frank were sent on missions and duties for Dumbledore; sometimes they knew what their husbands did, and sometimes they didn't. Once when on a mission with Sirius, James brought home the story of their altercation with the muggle police, much to the amusement of everyone at Headquarters. Lily and Alice kept in close contact, comparing pregnancies. It was nice, Lily thought. She couldn't share this with her own mother or sister, but sharing it with Alice was great too. Lily had heard that Petunia was pregnant, but wasn't sure when her niece or nephew was due. Regardless, she felt more protective of Alice's child than Petunia's.

"What are you thinking about?" James asked one night.

Lily lifted her head. "How good you are at rubbing my feet." She heard him chuckle from the end of the bed. "What are you thinking about?"

"Names."

"Ah," said Lily, rubbing her bump. It was getting larger every day; Lily felt bulky and useless. James assured her that neither were true. He was obsessed with the growing bulge, which he told her repeatedly, and then proved later when they were in bed. Somehow he made her feel less awkward about the changes that were molding her body.

"Hmmm," she sighed happily, laying her head down again. "And what have you come up with?"

"Tiberius for a boy. Cassandra for a girl."

"Have you been reading your history of magic textbook?"

"I'm joking."

"Obviously."

"Though if we were having twins, I would demand Castor and Pollux."

"And if we were having twin girls?"

"Helen and Clytemnestra. Obviously."

"So you've been reading... the Iliad?"

James set her foot down and crawled up next to her on their bed. Propping himself on his elbow, he rested his right hand on her belly. Lily rested her left and on top of his hand.

"Have you been thinking of names?" he asked in a low voice. She tried not to let it affect her.

"Not really."

"We should name it." He looked so insistent.

"Right now?" Lily bit her lip.

"Why not now?" His brow wrinkled in confusion. _Oh, but he was cute_, Lily couldn't help but think.

"Because I was rather hoping you'd kiss me."

Never one to ignore his wife's requests, James complied. Sometime later, the conversation wound back to names.

"What about... Harry?" asked James delicately. "For a boy, I mean."

Lily willed her relaxed body not to tense up. She breathed deeply and let the name wash over her... Harry, for her father... Harry Potter... "Harry James?"

"If you like," said James.

"Harry James Potter," she tried the name out.

"Harry James Potter," rejoined James. "It sounds good."

"Yeah," said Lily. "I like it."

"You should think of a girl name."

"Well, then June," she said, following James' pattern.

"June Potter?" he asked skeptically.

"Why not?"

James thought. "It's my mum's name, June Potter."

"Oh. So, I should pick something different?"

"We could name her after a flower. Rose, maybe?"

"No, not a flower. The child agrees."

"Does it?" he chuckled. Lily nodded seriously. They fell in to a silence, turning over names.

"We could do another "H" name," Lily suggested.

He rolled to face her. "Okay, how about... Harriet?"

"Very funny. Hester?"

"No. We could use Helen?"

"Hmm... Hildred?"

"Where did you dig up that name? Hilary."

"Hope."

"Hortense."

"Hermione."

"Hunter."

"Hunter? Really?"

James laughed. "Not really. Okay, what was the best one on the list?"

"Helen. It's a bit old, but then, so is Harry."

"But no Clytemnestra?"

"You know, I never liked her anyway. What about middle names?" Lily asked.

"June?"

"Helen June Potter. Better?"

"Much. Helen June Potter." His hands drifted to her belly. "We just named the kid."

"Yes. That wasn't so hard," she smiled.

O0O0O

Things were finally right with the world, Severus Snape thought as he walked down the nearly deserted street of Hogsmeade towards the Hog's Head. He had quickly risen in the Dark Lord's ranks to become one of the leading Death Eaters. He had no illusions, of course, that he was friends with the Dark Lord, or by any means one of his favorites. The Dark Lord had no friends. He had no favorites. Well, perhaps Bellatrix Lestrange had become a favorite plaything of his, but that didn't mean he wouldn't toss her off in a minute of the situation called for it. Severus knew the same would happen to him should the occasion arise, but for the moment his position among the other Death Eaters was lofty and secure.

He no longer felt guilty for his views on muggles and mudbloods, and didn't feel the need to keep them in check for the sake of a certain someone. A certain someone he hadn't seen since Hogwarts. Not that he hadn't thought about her countless times in that time span. Every day, in fact. Whenever he passed a redhead on the street, or heard a beautiful laugh, he turned and looked just in case it was her. But it never was. He'd heard some time ago that she had gotten married to James Potter. To say he'd drunk himself into an oblivion at that news would be the greatest of understatements.

But he was better now. He had moved on. He got up each morning, got through the day, and went to sleep without wishing the entire world dead, and he considered that a great improvement. Getting drinks with his companions at the Hog's Head was a perfectly fine thing to do, which is why he didn't feel a need to skulk through the shadowed streets as was habit. He nearly strolled!

As he neared the worn building, he glanced through the window to see if anyone else had arrived already. Snape swung into the Hogshead, pulled himself up to the table where his friends sat and ordered himself a tall glass of firewhisky.

The alcohol that burned down his throat was a wonderful antidote to the chill of winter.

This felt right, he thought as he glanced around at his friends. Just a few gentlemen sitting around a table discussing the state of the world. No judging. (Well, no one judging him, at least.) Just discussion.

Rookwood was half way through explaining why he felt that the Mudblood who lived on his street were entirely too nosy for their own good, when the ancient door of the Hogs Head creaked open. Snape glanced up in mild curiosity to see what new level of scum was entering the establishment, and his hand froze on his glass when he saw the towering figure of Albus Dumbledore walk in.

No matter what side of the Muggle debate you were on, you acknowledged Albus Dumbledore as an impressive man. Even the Dark Lord himself recognized the power of his foe. Conversation hushed momentarily throughout the pub as Dumbledore walked in, then held out a gesturing hand to a small woman at his side. She seemed to peer out at the world with frightened eyes, magnified by her huge glasses.

"If you'll just follow me, Headmaster," she brushed past him, and headed towards the stairway that lead to the guest rooms above. "You will very much like to hear what I've got to say."

Snape studied Dumbledore's face as he walked past their table. The aging man seemed strained, as if he didn't quite want to be there, but was too polite to refuse the clearly strange woman. Once they disappeared up the stairs, conversation began to trickle back into the room.

"I'd give my left arm to hear what they're plotting," Rookwood grinned at his friends, and took a long swig of his firewhiskey. "With Dumbledore, it's got to be something big."

Though nothing had been confirmed - nor would it ever, they knew, because the man was far too crafty - the Dark Lord had long since suspected that Dumbledore was heading up the anti-Death Eater actions that had been assaulting their ranks of late.

"Go up there, then, and listen in." Yaxley snorted, bringing his own glass to his lips. "If you want to hear so bad."

Rookwood stiffened, and nearly slammed down his glass.

"You think I'm a fool?" he asked with a sharp tongue. "Getting caught would probably mean death!"

Snape smiled into his own glass.

"Albus Dumbledore may be a great many things, but a murderer he is not." he said to the group. "He doesn't have the stomach."

Snape knew that wasn't entirely true. Albus Dumbledore was more than capable of killing, and had in the past, if the rumors about the mighty duel between he and Grindelwald were to be believed, but the man would never kill a human in cold blood. It simply wasn't his way.

"You're so sure?" Rookwood sneered at him. "Then you go listen, Severus. Tell us what he says."

Snape stared thoughtfully into his glass. Being caught listening by the door, especially by someone as powerful as Albus Dumbledore, would not be a good thing at all. On the other hand, having the guts to go up and spy on Dumbledore would raise his ratings among his fellow Death Eaters considerably, and he may even learn a bit of information to help the Dark Lord.

"Fine," Snape said before he could stop the words from coming out. "I will."

This clearly threw the others for a loop. They just stared at him, hands frozen on glasses, mouths agape, as he stood up and walked towards the staircase. At this point, he wasn't even going to think about what he was doing, what the possible ramifications were - he was simply going to do it.

He ignored the niggling thought in the back of his mind that always seemed to crop up whenever he did something morally questionable - _What would Lily think?_

The answer was simple: She wouldn't think anything. She no longer cared.

He heard their muffled voices as he approached the door. Odd that no one had bothered to put a silencing charm on the door. Still, he could only thank his good luck. The voice he heard was clearly the woman's, though it sounded different than when she came in. Lower. Hushed. Almost eerie.

Glancing around to make sure there was no one coming, he pressed an ear against the door and listened.

_The one with the power to vanquish the Dark Lord approaches ... Born to those who have thrice defied him, born as the seventh month dies ..._

Words filled his ears. Question after question bombarded his brain with each new sentence. What did it mean, these blasphemous words dripping out? He would have laughed at it all, had she not seemed so eerily truthful about the prophecy. Dread gnawed relentlessly at his stomach as her words seemed to grow to a fever pitch, though she barely spoke above a whisper the entire time. Then all at once it stopped.

A child.

A child who would defeat the Dark Lord.

Impossible.

Yet the words had been spoken.

Without even realizing what he was doing, Snape shoved hard at the door, pushing it open. It banged against the wall with a loud thump that caused the two occupants inside to jump. Sybell Trelawney snapped out of whatever sort of trance she had been in, and now stared at him with accusing eyes. Snape didn't care a wit about what she had to say. His crazed eyes focused only on Dumbledore.

The man said nothing. He made no motion to chase him, to hurt him, to attack him, he simply sat there in his small wooden chair and stared back at him from beneath those half moon spectacles.

Snape stood there, frozen, one hand on the doornob, staring at the pair of them with wild eyes, and then just as fast as he'd burst in, he left again, slamming the door behind him. The Dark Lord would need to know about this. Very soon. Right now. As fast as possible. Without a single thought to who would notice, and perhaps because he was more than a little worried that the pair in the room would chase him down the hallway, Snape Disapparated away as fast as he could.

O0O0O

Dumbledore knew. Snape shouldn't have been impulsive, shouldn't have burst into the room like that. He should have been able to keep his emotions under control. Curses. There was nothing to do now but to make sure the Dark Lord knew of this horrible prophecy before Dumbledore or any other of his pathetic tag-alongs could attempt to stop him.

He didn't Apparate directly into the Dark Lord's chamber - that would be akin to suicide. Instead, he Apparated in front of the house, and knocked on the door in haste. When Avery opened, Snape didn't bother with pleasantries, but shoved his way past the man and into the relative warmth of the house.

"I must speak with the Dark Lord at once!" he insisted. In the next instant, to his great surprise, the Dark Lord himself walked into the room. Snape felt the slight tug of adoration and fear he felt whenever this great man came in his presence. It took a moment for him to remember his voice.

"I heard..." He heard a piece of fate, shoved into his unready ears - a piece of fate which could ultimately decide the fate of the battle they had all worked so hard to win. The Dark Lord ushered him into the living room and allowed him to sit as he spilled the story out. Through-out the whole re-telling, the Dark Lord said nothing. His face hardly twitched from the calm, almost pleased expression it held. If it wasn't for the fire that flared in his eyes, Snape never would have known anything was wrong.

It was his eyes that gave him away. When Snape was finished with the story, words trailing off dumbly into silence, the Dark Lord nodded once, and then sat silent. Severus didn't dare speak after that. He'd unleashed a deluge; one that was cleverly masked by the Dark Lord's impenetrable character, but it raged nonetheless. One small movement out of place, and he very well may snap. Innumerable calculations worked in Voldemort's brain as he counted the possibilities, the ways of destruction. He was so close to victory.. SO CLOSE!

Snape did nothing but sit and stare. Perhaps it was rude, but the Dark Lord was so far gone in his mind that he hardly noticed. Avery came in once to interrupt, but Snape waved him away. When Voldemort finally returned, he did so with a smile.

"Avery," he spoke in a polite tone that held an under layer sharper than a knife. "Tell me. Are any of the suspected Order members or followers of Dumbledore due to have children at the end of July?"

Avery disappeared for a moment into the study, and then returned, clutching a piece of paper on various enemy activities.

"Frank and Alice Longbottom, and Lily and James Potter, sir." Avery stammered out, clearly frightened by the horror unleashed in the Dark Lord's eyes.

For Severus Snape, the world had just disappeared.

All he heard was the ringing in his ears.

The ocean. He heard the ocean.

A great tidal wave rose up before him - dark, black, churning - and crashed against him with such force he couldn't breathe. His whole body became swamped in it, limbs tangled and heavy so he could no longer move.

Lily. His Lily.

He'd just betrayed her to the one man in the universe who would ensure her destruction.

His brain quickly tried to rationalize the situation, and he told himself that she had procreated with that horrible Potter, and was breeding a miniature Potter within her. That his hatred at their union should outweigh his horror at what the future might hold.

In the end, all he felt was fear.

He didn't care who she loved, who she married, who she was having children with. She was his, and now she was in danger.

"My Lord, Lily Potter..." he couldn't find the words. They got lost in the storm his brain had become. Finally, he managed to murmur out, "Spare her."

Voldemort's yellowing eyes peered at him with interest. The change from anger was quite startling. Words must have been spoken during his blackout, but Snape didn't know, didn't care.

"You care about the Mudblood, Severus?" the Dark Lord taunted, though he already knew the answer. He'd watched Snape struggle with his feelings for the woman for years. Snape didn't answer, only stared at him with pleading eyes.

His pause stretched out into forever, then he gave a slight nod.

"It will be your reward for delivering me the warning," he spoke. If he'd been a sympathetic man, he would have smiled at the relief that broke over Snape's face. Instead, all he saw was one more grateful servant at his feet.

As Snape moved to leave that night, he couldn't quite shake the niggling feeling in the pit of his stomach. The Dark Lord had said he would spare Lily. That was all that mattered. The brat and Potter could go to the devil for all he cared, so long as his Lily was safe.

And perhaps, given the appropriate amount of time, he could arrive to comfort her, ease her pain. He would slowly introduce himself back into her life. In time...

He smiled. Delivering the news to the Dark Lord had been the right decision.

O0O0O

Lily followed James out to the garden, wrapping her cloak around herself. Only two months until her baby was born, and Dumbledore wanted to see them about something. They were meeting at his request in his office. Whatever it was, it probably wasn't going to be good. James was turning a watering can into a Portkey (you weren't supposed to Apparate if you were pregnant, so said Alice). She drew up beside him, double checking that her wand was in her pocket.

"Ready?"

"Ready as I'll ever be," she replied. Lily reached out and grasped the can by the handle. After a moment, she felt the jerk behind her navel, the baby kicked in annoyance. They landed in Hogsmeade; Lily stumbled and James caught her.

"Thank you," she said.

"Hitting the bottle a bit early, aren't you?"

"Or your child is throwing off my balance."

James chuckled. The two linked arms and strode out of the village and up to the castle. Hagrid greeted them at the gate and allowed them onto the grounds. They continued up through the castle, Lily looked wistfully around her, letting her anxiety go and reveling in the fact that she was back at Hogwarts.

James nudged her, "You know, someday eleven years from now, this school is going to get a brilliant kid." He touched her belly. Lily smiled.

"Eleven years," she breathed.

"Yup."

Dumbledore was waiting outside his office. With him were the Longbottoms.

"Okay, Professor, what is going on?" said Alice. Her fingers were tapping impatiently on her stomach.

"Let us go up to my office. Sugar quill," Dumbledore told the stone gargoyle.

Frank raised his eyebrow at the unusual choice of password. James grinned. The quartet of future parents followed Dumbledore up the stairs and settled down in the comfortable chairs that Dumbledore conjured.

Dumbledore sat down heavily and sighed. Dumbledore never sighed.

"I have some... information that may be of interest to you."

Lily raised her eyebrow, "What kind of information, sir?"

Dumbledore brought out a giant, ancient bowl. There was a silvery liquid or gas something blowing around inside.

"This is called a Pensive. I can extract my memories and place them in the bowl and peruse them at my leisure, even share them with others." He placed his wand at his temple, then pulled it gently away. A silvery strand, that looked the same as the substance in the bowl, threaded away from his head. Dumbledore then placed the thread into the bowl.

Suddenly a bizarre woman formed out of the silvery substance. She had giant eyeglasses that made her look like a bug. When she opened her mouth and words came out... "_The one with the power to vanquish the Dark Lord approaches ... Born to those who have thrice defied him, born as the seventh month dies ... And the Dark Lord will mark him as equal, but he will have power the Dark Lord knows not ... And either must die at the hand of the other for neither can live while the other survives_."

She faded back into the bowl, leaving the surface as it was.

"What the hell was that?" asked Alice, standing up as fast as her belly would allow.

"Allow me to explain," Dumbledore began calmly. "A week or so ago, I met with Ms. Sybil Trewlany about a position for her here, as a professor of divination. I have little patience for this branch of magic, but in fairness to her, and to the education of the students at Hogwarts, I agreed to meet with her. She seemed like a fraud until she went rigid and gave me a prophecy. This prophecy. After thinking it over, I realized it matched two couples expecting children this summer."

He nodded to them. Alice sat down heavily again.

"So... one of us... will have a child that will defeat You-Know-Who?" asked Lily. Her arms were nearly embracing her stomach, trying to protect it.

"I am afraid that since we were... overheard by someone, that yes, Voldemort will believe it and take action to prevent this from happening."

All four of them went white. Lily felt as though she wanted to vomit right into the damn pensive on Dumbledore's precious memory.

"So... You-Know-Who knows?" asked Frank. "It's no secret that Alice is pregnant, she's been granted leave from the Auror's office, and that's public record."

"I haven't told many people," said Lily, "but it's getting pretty obvious, anyway."

Dumbledore sighed again. "For the moment, none of you will have any Order duties. When your children are born, I want you to post a guard of some sort. And please keep this information as quiet as you can. I do not want this to get out."

James nodded thickly. There was nothing he could think to say. His mind was whirling at a thousand miles an hour, trying to measure the ramifications of the prophecy and someone overhearing it. Even if it wasn't true, it put them at risk if You-Know-Who knew about it. But what was the power that the Dark Lord knew not? James couldn't even begin to fathom it...

O0O0O


	7. Chapter 7

Authors' Note: We do not own Harry Potter or any of the characters, plot, or anything else you recognize, we are not making any money from this story. In truth, the story owns us. Final thanks to F. L. Butler for the severe editing to this chapter in particular. Ten points to Gryffindor for her fabulous work!

And a special shout out to musical-penguins for reviewing every chapter! We love you.

And we love everyone who reviews. (hint hint.)

CHAPTER SEVEN

Sirius Black sat with a pack of cigars and a bottle of firewiskey in the library at Potter Manor. It was a very posh place to be, all told. The walls were lined with shelves, they in turn were filled with ancient leather tomes, newer books, photographs of family members. Sirius was reclining in a leather chair, legs swung up over the arm. He turned a cigar over in his fingers, wondering if Prongs would know if he smoked one before the kid was born. Deciding he would, Sirius tossed the cigar carelessly on the side table.

Lily was upstairs in labor, had been for some time, James and the MidWitch with her. Sirius was acting as security. Although truth be told, he very much doubted the Dark Lord was going to burst through the front door at two-thirty in the afternoon. Two-thirty in the morning and Sirius might be a little more alert. Restless, he launched himself out of the chair and ostentatiously went to peruse the selection of transfiguration books.

Mad-Eye Moody had acted as security yesterday- Frank and Alice Longbottom had a little boy, Neville. If James and Lily have a daughter, they will be safe. If they have a son... well, the Dark Lord could just as easily go after the sprog. Unless the kid has the good sense to wait until after midnight. Then it will be August first, and the kid will be in the clear, boy or girl. Of course, then the Longbottoms will be targets...

Sirius wished he had never heard the damned prophecy.

He felt absolutely useless to protect his friends from the evil that was saturating Britain. So did Prongs, he could see it in his oldest friend's eyes. Ever since Dumbledore had told the prophecy to those affected, well, it was suddenly difficult to be happy about the two babies that the Order had previously rejoiced over. Sirius wondered about these boys... would they be as melancholy or dramatic as the stars they were born under? At least Sirius was godfather to one of them. He could at least try and be a distraction of sorts.

Suddenly there were thundering feet down the corridor, and the door swung wide open. James was there, wide eyed and breathless.

"Well?"

"I have a son."

"Well done, James!" he embraced him.

"Don't tell me well done; you should have seen what Lily had to do."

"I'd rather not know," Sirius said lightly. He poured each of them a drink. "To your son," he toasted.

James threw back the shot.

"His name is Harry James Potter," he said.

"To Harry James Potter!" toasted Sirius again, refilling their glasses.

"To Harry James Potter," James agreed. After tucking away their second shot, James led Sirius up to the bedroom. The MidWitch had finished tidying by then (she made James help her before he rushed to tell Sirius the news), and Lily had finished feeding the baby.

Sirius grinned at the bundle in Lily's arms, and the shock of black hair sticking off its head. "Well I can already see he takes after his father." He kissed Lily on the cheek, and conjuring some flowers, offered them to her.

She passed the baby to James to receive the flowers. "Thank you, Sirius. They're lovely."

"They're not lilies!" he said, proud of himself. He had learned_ that_ lesson early on.

Lily laughed. Sirius wondered how she could be so calm. "Don't let James hog the baby. It's only right the godfather should get to hold his god son."

There was a mock tug-of-war over the baby, before James good naturely passed the bundle. Sirius cradled his god son with no small sense of weight. Physically, the baby weighed almost nothing, a little more than a Quaffle, but the prophecy hanging over his head was almost tangible. He gently passed a hand over Harry's hair, feeling its softness. It was then the baby opened his eyes- they were exactly like Lily's.

"Whoa," said Sirius, surprised.

"Right?" said James.

Lily smiled at the men crowing over the baby's eyes.

"I though babies were born with blue eyes," said Sirius, taken aback. He looked at Lily with suspicion, "What did you do?"

"I ate only garden peas the last month," she teased.

Sirius returned his gaze to the infant, "Well whatever you did, it worked."

Harry closed his eyes again, and relaxed into sleep. "That's right, mate. You've had a traumatic day. I can only imagine the state your father was in when you popped out."

"Hey!" called James indignantly.

Sirius put his finger to his lips, shushing him in the manner of one Madame Pince. Lily chuckled. "The child is asleep. No loud noises, _please_."

After a few more minutes, Lily decided to kick the boys out, claiming she needed a nap, and couldn't they leave the baby and go smoke those hideous cigars that Sirius undoubtedly had brought, thank you very much.

You don't argue with a woman that has been in labor for twelve hours.

O0O0O

"Babies are weird," said James quietly, rocking his son to sleep.

"Why do you say that?" asked Lily from the bed.

"They're so delicate. I mean, his skull hasn't even fused together." James passed his hand lightly over the boy's head, feeling the slight soft spots under his fingertips.

"Thank Merlin, otherwise he wouldn't have come out as easily as he did."

"You call that easy?"

"No, I just think it would be harder if he hadn't had squished so much."

Harry was asleep now. He was doing that adorable thing with his mouth, as if sucking on an invisible nipple. Maybe he was dreaming about an endless food source? James had no way of knowing. He put Harry gently in the cradle, nudging it slightly and set it to swinging.

Lily was curled up adorably in bed, waiting for him. Everything she read about babies told her she should sleep when he did. Harry was a good baby, according to Lily's research. James liked to argue that Harry was the best baby. Lily told him she was going to withhold judgment until he could sleep through the night.

"And the way he sees everything upside down."

"He'll be growing out of that soon enough."

"And he can only see the color red. He'll probably be a Gryffindor."

Lily couldn't help but laugh. She snuggled closer to James and breathed him in. "With you and me as his parents, he probably _will_ be thrown in to Gryffindor House."

"It's also weird that he's going to grow up and be a completely different person."

"Yeah," she agreed. "And he'll have your genes!" she whispered in mock horror.

"Hey, I was a model child."

"I'll bet," Lily shot back.

"It'll be cool to watch him grow up."

"Start walking and talking," said Lily.

"Get his first broomstick,"

Lily laughed, "Get a letter from Hogwarts..."

"Make the Gryffindor Quidditch Team, a chaser of course."

"Oh, of course," agreed Lily. "Go through school."

"Get a job."

"Get married."

James laughed. "I don't think he'll be happy we're planning out his life for him. Maybe we should focus on getting him to sleep through the night. We'll wait until he's seven to plan the wedding."

"Deal."

O0O0O

James wished he could freeze this moment forever. Lily had insisted on a Christmas Tree, so they had a small one, but it still nearly scraped the ceiling of their manor. Decorations had flooded in from all the Order members - mostly cute things that Harry could play with. With the exception of the lights, all the decorations were concentrated on the bottom half of the tree - only places where Harry's pudgy little fingers could reach.

Lily sat on the floor, gazing down at a tiny little Harry in her lap, who was reaching up with wide eyes towards an ornament of a little gnome that did a little dance from the string it hung on. James was leaning against a door frame with his arms crossed, watching the two people he loved most in the world. It was a perfect moment. Even the smell of burnt popcorn that drifted from the kitchen seemed somehow endearing.

In a few minutes, Sirius would arrive and present Harry with his very first Christmas gift ever. (James had it on good authority that Harry was getting a stuffed dragon, though no one had told Lily yet - they were worried she'd disapprove. Dragons weren't exactly cuddly, unless you were Hagrid.) Others were sure to trickle in, out of the cold, to partake in Lily's eggnog, and Harry's infectious laughter.

"What are you staring at?" Lily looked up at him with a cheeky grin. James crossed over to her, and squatted down on the carpet. He tried his best not to notice the way the light played through her auburn hair, or how beautiful she looked with Harry in her lap. A few months after their child was born, and he still couldn't keep his hands off her to save his life.

"You," he smiled back, reaching up to play with a rogue curl. She leaned over and gave him a quick kiss on the lips.

"Harry's first Christmas." she murmured, and pressed her forehead against his. "I can't imagine it being more perfect."

_Sex underneath the Christmas tree with spiked eggnog?_ was the first thought that popped into his head, but he was very good and curbed it. The amused look in her eyes told him that she probably knew what he was thinking anyway.

He was about to kiss her again when a small fist landed hard against his leg. Little Harry had gotten enough distraction out of the Christmas ornaments, and was ready to play again. James smiled, and hoisted him up in his arms.

"And you, little man." he spoke in a mock stern voice. Harry's wide green eyes seemed to grown even wider for a moment as the boy decided whether or not to take his father's new tone as serious or not, then a laugh gurgled out of those tiny little lips, and his hands flailed out again.

"Your uncle Sirius got you a very nice present this year," he smirked, already picturing his son's crazed, gleeful expression at playing with the moving, fake-fire-breathing stuffed toy. "And your mum got you something wonderful, too, but you'll have to wait until tomorrow to see it."

For the nine months leading up to Harry's birth, James had been worried sick. Did he really want to bring a helpless creature into this world of death and chaos? He had a hard enough time letting Lily out of his sight for even a moment, and she was a fully functioning adult, able to not only take care of herself but to kick ass and take names as well. But a baby? The child couldn't even feed itself let alone defend itself against You-Know-Who and his followers.

It wasn't until he stood beside a red-faced and crying Lily and cradled little Harry in his arms, stared into his impossibly deep green eyes (an exact mirror of Lily's) that he realized all the worrying, all the doubt didn't matter. Yes, the world was a scary place, but the child he held in his arms would make everything brighter. In Harry, James found another reason to fight on, to not lose hope.

Baby Harry was old enough now to crawl around on his chubby little legs, and crawl he did. The moment James set him down on the carpet, Harry was off like a rocket, trudging towards the kitchen in search of the cat, who had fast become the boy's best friend. James thought perhaps the cat tolerated the child rather than held any affection for him, but Harry had yet to be scratched, and he'd done more than his fair share of tail pulling.

James still worried a bit when his son wandered out of eye sight and rose to go after him, but Lily tugged on his hand and drew him back down.

"Don't worry, James," she pressed a hand to the stubble on his cheek. "Harry's fine. He's exploring."

Every single day of the past year had been one new adventure, one new worry after another. Death Eaters didn't even seem as scary now that he had to worry about whether or not his son would accidentally fall down the steps, or stick his finger into a candle flame, even if Lily had baby-proofed the manor. Still, he wouldn't trade it for the world.

Lily turned in his arms and snuggled her back against him. He wrapped his arms around her and stared up at their tree.

"Where on Earth did we get that tree topper?" he asked, and Lily snorted.

"Sirius gave it to us." she said simply. Which meant, of course, that it was the most hideous tree topper in the history of the world, and slightly resembled a niffler.

The next moment revealed a small black-topped head that poked out from behind the kitchen divider. The sight of his parents glued yet another smile on Harry's face, and he clapped his hands together. (Or attempted. He hadn't quite got the coordination down to fully hit the targets yet.)

"Come here, sweetheart," Lily held out an arm, and Harry gamely crawled over to them with a laugh. The minute he was within grabbing distance, Lily snatched him up and cuddled him to her chest. His small fists balled into her shirt as he lay his head on her breast.

This was a perfect moment, James thought as he wrapped a hand around his son's back and buried his face in Lily's hair. Absolutely perfect.

Then there was a knock on the door, and an obnoxious voice yelled,

"Open up, lovebirds! It's colder than a witch's tit out here!"

Sirius had arrived, and in fine spirits, if the loud banging was any indication. Lily laughed as she hauled herself to her feet, and scooped Harry up in her arms. James too got up and walked to the door.

When he opened the door and saw the gigantic grin on his best friend's face, he knew this was sure to be the best Christmas ever.

O0O0O

Harry's first year passed in a whirl of Lily assured everyone that he was an exceptional baby. He was good at saying "mama" and "dada," calling nearly everyone that indiscriminately. He was curious and funny and playful. But he also had a penchant to just sit and observe with his wide green eyes, as if he knew that not everything was quite right with his world, no matter how much the grown-ups liked to pretend. He would not be parted from the stuffed dragon that Sirius gave him, and among his other favorite playthings were James' glasses, Lily's earrings, and Dumbledore's long beard.

But time passed and Harry's first birthday was suddenly upon them; Lily did not want to risk a party, just tea with Bathilda Bagshot, who lived down the street. Sirius had sent Harry's first boomstick, a tiny affair that gave Harry a mad gleam in his eye. Lily couldn't deny Harry this new-found joy, but was constantly worried about him hurting himself. Because there were a lot of fragile things at Potter Manor...

O0O0O

"I... have an idea," said Sirius when he visited one rainy night in October.

"What's your idea, Padfoot?" James asked, folding socks in the library. Lily was on the floor, playing with Harry, trying to distract him from the tense adults.

"I don't think I should be your secret keeper."

"Don't be ridiculous, Sirius," said Lily, crossly.

"I'm not being ridiculous," he said calmly. "I think you should pick a different secret keeper. Suspicion will fall on me. How could it not?"

Silence fell. Harry stumbled to his godfather and lifted his arms, in the universal sign for "you'll pick me up if you know what's good for you." Sirius complied and settled the black haired boy on his lap. When Harry was comfortable, Sirius began his reasoning again.

"If I fall into wrong hands..."

"Sirius, listen," said James softly, using his real name for the first time in recent memory.

"No, _James_, you listen. If I don't know where you are, I can't give you up. No matter..." _what the Death Eaters torture me with_... the words were unspoken, but in war, especially this sort of war, you learned to listen to what was not being said.

Again the room was filled with silence. It was so thick it nearly choked them. Even Harry was observing them all silently, absent was his typical giggle.

"I am so sick of being a pawn," interrupted Lily, suddenly.

"Aren't we all, love," James stated. Not asked.

"There's not many people I trust anymore," said Sirius slowly.

James sighed. "You know how I feel about the Marauders. And we can always trust Dumbledore. And Lily, I obviously trust her. And Harry," he offered.

"Well, I think you should switch to Wormtail."

"Why not Remus? Or Dumbledore? He did offer," Lily pointed out.

"Dumbledore has enough to worry about," said James.

"Yeah, mainly about us," she argued. "About Harry."

The three adults turned to look at the person in question. Harry was still very aware of the tension in the room, observing them all from Sirius's knee with wide green eyes.

"Still. But why not Remus?" James questioned.

Sirius hesitated. It seemed like such a small thing, but... the truth of the matter was, Remus was supposed to meet Sirius at Admiralty Arch; they were supposed to guard the Queen, who was spending the week at Buckingham Palace. But Remus never showed. Sirius covered for him, not mentioning Remus in his report, nor questioning his absence. He had assumed he forgot. Stranger things have happened.

But still...

There were many close calls in the past few months that put the Potters at risk. James being tailed by potential Death Eaters while doing the shopping. Lily receiving threats while replenishing potion supplies. Both of them being spooked while at the zoo with Harry, apparating just in time for a gorilla to escape and go on that mysterious rampage...

"I just think Peter would be the most unexpected option," Sirius said finally.

Lily shrugged. "The least we can do is ask him." She stood up and stretched her back, vertebrae popping slightly. "C'mon, Harry. Time for you to practice with your toothbrush. Then maybe Sirius will read you a story." She picked him up off Sirius's lap.

Harry landed a look on Sirius that read very clearly, "you had better make good on that."

Sirius chuckled. "What's his favorite book this week?"

Because Harry was the best at listening to the silences. If Sirius didn't know better, he'd say that Harry knew everything about the delicate situation he was born into. This thought did not make him happy.

O0O0O

The thing about being married to James was that you were also married to his three best friends. And while she only slept with James, she found Peter, Remus, and Sirius constantly underfoot at Potter Manner, cracking jokes, petting the cat, raiding the pantry, even sometimes helping tidy up (that was usually Remus, actually). She didn't mind, especially after Harry was born, when she could hand off the infant to one of his uncles and catch a few minutes of sleep, or take a shower.

But now, it was just her and James. They had cast the Fidelius Charm to hide them from You-Know-Who. And while they were fine by themselves, they were also very much not fine. They were bored and lonely and scarred. Not that they didn't trust Peter to keep their secret (he was due to go into hiding soon). But if Lily was honest, the tension had been building since they found about the prophecy hanging over Harry's head, but she had been too exhausted to fight.

But these past few days, well, everything about everything annoyed her.

"James, do the washing up," she demanded. He was gazing out one of the windows again, morose and irritating.

"Please?" he prompted.

She glared at him. "I cooked. You wash up. "

He slammed his hands down on the sill of the window; the panes of glass rattled. Harry was sitting on his blanket, gnawing on toy. Lily calmly picked him up, carried him up the stairs and settled him in the crib. She left him there with his teething toys and cast an Imperturbable Charm on the door. He shouldn't have to hear them fight. However calm Lily climbed the stairs, she was furious by the time she reached James in the front room.

"What is wrong?" he demanded.

"I could ask you the same thing!" she nearly shouted. "You've been moping and crying and absolutely no help to anyone."

"Well forgive me if I'm a little depressed!"

"I would if you were more apologetic about it!" She could feel the blood rushing to her face. She hated fighting with James. Always had; it's one of the many reasons she had never wanted to go out with him in the first place.

"Yeah, because maybe that would annoy you less!" he said sarcastically.

"Well look around, James, you're not the only one depressed and terrified! But unlike you, I'm still trying to take care of us! I can't do that by myself!" she turned and stormed into the kitchen, loudly clearing the table and slamming pots and pans around. She filled the sink with scalding water and fairy soap. Muttering darkly, she began to wash the dishes.

She didn't hear James shuffle into the kitchen, but she felt his arms wrap around her waist. He was hugging her and burying his nose in her hair.

"I'm sorry."

She leaned her head back. He rested his head on her shoulder, and moved his hands down her arms into the hot water and drew them out. He gazed at her red hands; they looked like they had been burned by that awful curse again. Spinning her around, he kissed her palms and pulled her into a proper embrace. She was trembling now, and so was he.

"I'm so scared," she whispered, hesitantly.

"Me too," he admitted.

"I hate this; I hate everything about this. I feel like I'm a pawn, disposable."

He held her tighter. "I know."

"I'm sorry too, James. I'm sorry I snapped."

He drew back to look her in the eyes. "I'm sorry I've been so bloody useless. Go get Harry, relax, and I'll do the washing up."

She sighed, kissed him, and went upstairs.

James finished the washing up, poured him and Lily a glass of wine each and brought them in to where she was playing with Harry. James joined them in their lighthearted fun, and then said, "You know, it's getting very close to our Anniversary."

"No it's not, that's in May."

"No, I meant the anniversary of our first date. Halloween?"

She smiled as Harry tumbled around the room on unsteady feet. His dark hair threw his green eyes into sharp relief. It was a contrast she'd never grow tired of.

"How do you think we should celebrate?" she asked in her sexy, bedroom voice that she knew drove James crazy.

"Does it matter?"

"Nope," she smiled at him, and took another sip of her wine.

James smiled back, and took her hand. Harry brought them one of his toys and garbled a few nonsense words at them. As long as they were together, they were fine. They kept each other fighting. He loved his family, and Lily would do anything for them. Here they were, sitting in their living room, safe, loved, and defiant.


End file.
